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Boston Manor’s four-song EP Saudade is a roaring pop-punk gem, with huge guitars, insane drum fills, and deliciously angst-ridden vocals.
Members Dan, Ash, Henry, Jordan, and Mike are all proficient musicians, and the first thing that grabbed me about this album was the technical proficiency: intricate guitar riffs, rapid changes to half-time sections, and perfectly in-tune octave vocals. The album is produced exceptionally well, and a quick poke around on the band’s Facebook page here told me that the Blackpool, UK band is big enough to have a US booking agent already, in addition to press contacts, a record deal, and tour managers.
These standard qualifiers of success, while oftentimes weighed down with unwarranted importance, are useful here, because 1. I want to see this band in America, 2. I want to read about them on the internet and in the news, 3. I want more music, and 4. Did I mention I want to see the band live?
It’s a fucking good album. Opening track “Gone” features a deft guitar riff, followed by a quick breakdown into fastpaced drums, high vocals with an edge of grit, and snare fills at every occasion.
My favourite song is the second, “Trapped Nerve,” which features vocals more heavily; screaming and clean singing compete for attention until the very end, which has nothing but an acapella chorus.
Track #3 “Asleep at the Wheel” is the best example of Boston Manor’s rhythmic abilities, and the drum fills in this song had me taking notes in all caps.
Final track “Shade” starts mellower than its predecessors, but builds consistently throughout until the end, when a final goosebump-raising scream made me, according to my notes, “shit myself.”
The band is obviously picking up some attention in England, and their six-odd-thousand fans would agree with me when I say that their future in America looks bright.
Score: 5/5
Track Listing:
1. Gone
2. Trapped Nerve
3. Asleep at The Wheel
4. Shade