Now and again, bands just go right ahead and make a niche for themselves. Great Cynics – now matured far beyond singer/guitarist Giles Bidder’s solo work – are a unique entity in the UK scene, and since 2011’s ‘Don’t Need Much’, they’ve blossomed into a formidable and promising talent. There’s little doubt that ‘Like I Belong’ will be an important album in their career, and from the off the album is nothing if it not life affirming, and they’ve done a fine job of refining the best parts of their first full length with their sound on the record.
Tracks like ‘Letting Go’ and ‘Ways Down’ get things off to a great start, and at a comfortable 35 minutes in length, ‘Like I Belong’ never outstays its welcome. Each song falls effortlessly into the next, and the art of the positive vibe is strong in Bidder’s songwriting.
Indie influenced punk is in strong form at the moment on both sides of the Atlantic, and coupled with lyrical content firmly routed in the perils of being neither young nor old, you get an instantly relatable and immensely listenable record. ‘Back To Hackney’ is a straight up tune, and tracks like ‘Feeling In My Throat’ and ‘Find The Humour’ make the back end of the record as enjoyable as the front. It’s an album that’s very easy to leave on repeat, and represents a fantastic balance between smart melody creation and honest, credible songwriting.
There’s a massive potential here for Great Cynics to grow beyond the confines of the scene with ‘Like I Belong’, and it might just be the record that becomes their launchpad into the wider public eye. If they weren’t before, they’re a band you need to know now, and you’ll be hearing much, much more from them in the coming years.
TOM AYLOTT