Northern Ireland, for the past few years, had all the looks of a creative paradise. Amidst the rise of acts such as Rosborough, Cherym, Touts, ROE and The Woodburning Savages, the independent musical renaissance in the six counties rivalled that of any on the island in terms of raw talent and excitement. And yet, as time passed and these acts began to venture beyond their home, the attractive allure of predictability began to take its hold. Acts seemed all too eager to settle into the hole left by their predecessors, with a worrying lack of ambition to claim it for their own. However, talent continued to raise its saggy-toothed head wherever it was needed, and soon bands such as NEWT filled in the creative malaise left for them. With a debut EP already under their belt, the band project of multi-instrumentalist Brendan Gallagher has emerged with their latest, and best, release yet.
‘Autoimmune’ (see defintion - relating to disease caused by antibodies or lymphocytes produced against substances naturally present in the body), the five track release from the quartet has all the energy of a DIY project and the pedigree of a 2x grand national champ. Featuring the talents of underground faces Nolan Donnelly (Mosmo Strange, ZOOL Records etc), Charlie Cairns (WASPS) and Peter Close (Jealous Of The Bird, Annas Number), the quality of the individual parts was never in question. But thankfully, the whole is greater than them in any case: a true ‘musicians band’ in every sense of the word, the identity of Autoimmune is one of uncoimplicated, addictive, intelligent indie rock, given its own unique flair by the meticulous addition of their many influences. Each track has a unique identity of its own, unified by the omnipresent Gallagher’s guidance. Building on the success of their self-titled debut, a trio of forward thinking indie rock dancers, Gallagher has succeeded in corralling the influences of the past whilst keeping his eyes on the horizon, thus creating a unique identity that will appeal to both the few and the many.
Take opening track ‘Wahaveux’ for instance: tight, crisp time signatures harken back to the math-rock bounce of the iconic And So I Watch You From Afar, while the dreamy dual vocals give the track its own airy image. Such is the identity of the EP, which can hold its head high as one of the more impressive underground releases of the year. The commitment to including whilst also improving upon their influences gives the record a chance to establish its own narrative, a chance which Gallagher and co. seem to relish. Indeed, the steady march towards a singular identity runs almost entirely through Gallagher, whose role as alt-rock puppeteer sees him put his best foot forward. His vocal presence is a constant anchor point throughout, keeping the alternative/indie/garage rock spheres from spiralling into the cosmos. When the futuristic funk of ‘He Loves You's’ space rock threatens to override its partners, Gallagher is there to reign it in, or when the percussion needs to lead the charge in the airy grunge of ‘Ricochet,’ the stalwart singer is there to give it a gentle nudge. Indeed, it is the restraint Gallagher shows in his composition that allows each individual aspect to shine in its own regard. After all, is less, not more?
From the required micromanagement of the songwriter to the seamless nature with which each player plays of the strength of their bandmates, Autoimmune is the latest in a remarkably impressive line of releases for the four-piece. A breath of fresh air amongst the murky stoner rock of the day, their tasty mix of infectious indie rock and weightless brevity inspire as many foot jives as it does head rocks. In a year where so many looks to rinse and repeat, NEWT have every intention of control, alt, deleting - and thankfully they sound great doing so.
Comments