New music exclusive!

Well, exclusive to my inbox at least, hey don’t look a gift horse and all that, right? I’m not troubled bloody diva, published everywhere and rubbing shoulders with the stars or anything, I takes what I gets!

So it was a very nice surprise to be able to receive an email in my inbox offering me a preview release of an upcoming EP featuring a band whose:

sound has grown stronger and surer as a result of their creative self-empowerment – alive with animalistic rage, suffused with emotive human spirit. Quite simply, it is enormous

Which sounds quite bloody impressive if you ask me.

The band in question are called Lupen Crook & The Murderbirds, and this is their first self-published work and also marks the first time I’ve heard anything by them. I’ve listened to the EP a couple of times now and I’ll happily admit that it’s good if not quite as startlingly original as the press release makes out but hey, when did a press release ever resemble reality?

Folk-Punk is the genre, apparently (yeah, new one on me too) and at first listen it sounds fairly derivative, some punk-lite melodies and an ‘authentic’ voice. Nothing out of the ordinary. A second, closer, listen reveals more depth and a nice grasp of rhythm and lyric, and I have to admit that it is growing on me. A third and fourth listen immediately followed and already the songs feel comfortable, like older friends. There is a definite quality to the tracks which hints at grander things to come.

The band are ploughing their own path and seem to embracing all forms of media in their quest for artistic expression. Whether or not that will stand them in good stead only time will tell but, based on the music, there is no reason why they can’t push on to bigger and brighter things. Whether they want to do that or not remains to be seen.

Either way, this is definitely a band to watch.

The EP is out on 4th July, more details available on the band website: www.lupencrookandthemurderbirds.co.uk.