Once a solo project, now a full band, ‘A Year in the Faking’ is the new EP from the recently expanded CALLUM READ AND THE BOOKS. What could be a little saccharine sweet, the band manages to give some bite to with ‘Coming, Going, Gone’ being the perfect example of this: a bittersweet love song that’s not obviously painful – what the group do well is mask understated but intelligent lyrics with gentle melodies and harmonies. It’s hard to really pull apart what makes the group good, as nothing specifically stands out. This is partly a positive aspect in the sense that nothing lets the group down, but it also means that after listening to the EP it’s difficult to remember the highlights. The songs need time to grow, and it’s worth the time given to them. Unfortunately for the listener, this is not immediately apparent and the band could easily be missed for this reason. While this is a problem, ‘A Year in the Faking’ is consistently enjoyable indie-pop and a worthwhile first release.
JOSIE MARTIN