Moments of ‘You, Us And They’, the new EP by Chipping Norton duo Cassels, stop you in your tracks. The lyrical honesty is refreshingly blunt, be it the scathing attack on their step-dad on opener ‘Cool Box’ or the equally searing approach to inequality on the record’s title track. It’s a unique type of intelligence, opting to avoid the sugar-coating of major issues close to the brothers’ hearts. “Why don’t they just gas the polling chambers as we line up too,” vocalist Jim Beck furiously ponders on ‘You, Us And They’.
Even in the thirty-five second punk outburst ‘Well Fed Worms In A Graveyard’, Cassels step forward into less distorted territory. Retaining their minimalist instrumental set-up, the message is pushed firmly into the forefront. It serves to reinvent Cassels as something truly special, yet provides a simultaneous natural progression from last year’s equally brilliant although in hindsight less adventurous ‘Hating Is Easy’.
‘You, Us And They’ is built on unrelenting anger. The Beck siblings present themselves at their least reserved, with a musical force that more than matches up to their barrage of visceral hate. The instrumental intricacies work perfectly, reaching a distinguishable and increasingly characteristic unique style. The anger isn’t forced, Beck instead choosing to crack his vocals only occasionally for increased effect. It all leads towards a subtlety in the unparalleled boldness, one that brilliantly brings across the record’s often provocative messages.
BEN TIPPLE