You Slut! are our kind of lads. Cheeky Northern chappies with a sense of a humour, some tasty artwork, an amusingly disgusting press shot involving gym whites and milk…oh and an enormous barrage of incredible guitar music to bludgeon you round the head until you submit.
Their distinct brand of instrumental post rock has common ground with Irish leaders of the pack And So I Watch You From Afar and friends Adebisi Shank, but also drifts pleasingly into the realm of pop, and even dreamy, groove-laden moments rear their head on foot-tapper ‘Fifzteen’. Setting out to break the rules, or even to valiantly assert that there are no rules, seems to be the order of the day, and the result is utterly joyful, freeform rock music that leaps from classical inspired pentatonics to all-out thrash in the blink of an eye.
Unlike a lot of instrumental bands, there seems to be little in the way of self indulgence here; everything has its place within the music for a reason, best showcased when creating a whirlpool of jagged guitars on ‘Magnifiererer’, which links effortlessly into a blissful groove before assuming a stomp that QOTSA would make entire song out of.
Hints of Hot Club de Paris on ‘Plural Sex’ allude to a more serious and contemplative side, but the beauty of this band is that they never feel contrived or pretentious. Hooks appear then sink back below the surface to be replaced by an intricate melody or arrestingly off-the-wall rhythm, and before the end of the album you’re already thinking about hitting that loop button and diving right back in for another fix of this intensely innovative and exciting music. There’s genuine love and passion in these recordings and the effect is tangible, especially on ‘Hiya Higher Hire’ which practically bursts with enthusiasm.
There’s a lot to take away from Medium Bastard, with new highlights on every listen confirming that England have some serious contenders for the instrumental crown. Never mind Medium Bastard, we’re giving this one Maximum Bastard.
JAMIE OTSA