‘…The vision for this record may not always be perfectly executed, but it is both clear and commendable…’
It has been nine years since Red Rum Club originally emerged. The sextet, based out of Bootle, Merseyside, had never met prior to sharing a rehearsal space, but quickly came together to release their debut single, ‘Everybody’s Friend‘. Within three years, they had released their debut record, ‘Matador‘, and established themselves as the next need-to-know outfit from Merseyside, with a sold-out headline show at Liverpool’s 1200 capacity O2 Academy. It has been strength-to-strength from that point onwards, with three more albums, shows at the M&S Bank Arena and Aintree Racecourse, and tours on both sides of the Atlantic.
There is a clear demand for the band’s sound; taking influence from indie rock, britpop, and americana, the band have a great capacity for taking the familiar, and twisting it in their own unique ways. Despite this, the band have apparently faced continual silence from the industry when reaching out, and it is from this frustration that ‘BUCK‘ was born; the sound of a band kicking against the repeated push-backs that they have faced. Whereas their three previous albums had seem them polishing their britpop and merseybeat stylings, ‘BUCK‘ pulls far more influence from country music, and is thematically informed throughout by the band’s repeated tours of America. The result is one of their most interesting sounding albums, but also one that is continually held back by strange creative choices.
Some of the material here is undoubtedly going to go down as classics within this band’s ever growing discography. ‘American Nights & English Mornings‘ is a bright, bold, and anthemic listen, detailing the difficulties of keeping up with your home and your loved ones when you are half-way across the world. Melodic bass lines duck and weave through jangly guitars and rousing brass, as vocalist Fran Doran continues display his masterful ability at crafting fantastic hooks and melodies. It is undeniably and impressively catchy, with the buoyant choruses guaranteeing that you will be singing along after only one listen.
‘Wild‘ is a swaggering affair, with chunky, bouncing rhythms and a weighty bass line situated beneath punchy guitar work. It exudes a distinct coolness and charisma that will have you reaching for the nearest cowboy hat. ‘Wish I Was Here‘ is a surprisingly unconventional track for the band, with a polyrhythmic approach that captures perfectly the moody, tense nature of the track. Doran sings of wishing to be more present in the moment, inspired by struggling to recollect the highs of his career, and delivers a superb performance in the process; the second verse in particular sees him utilising a near spoken word approach that works perfectly in tandem with the track’s unrelenting grooves and haunting brass performance.
‘Animal‘ is a sparkling indie rock affair that layers soaring vocals atop of shimmering guitars and rhythms that drive through the verses and pull back during the choruses. It is a gorgeously put together and beautifully bittersweet track that insists that you grab your lover and get dancing. ‘Vanilla’ is another solid incredibly fun track, with funky, swaggering rhythms, gritty guitar riffs, and a stupidly infectious hook. Long-term listeners may find the track’s inclusion baffling, with it not only originally having been released in 2022, but having been released prior to band’s last album, ‘Western Approaches’. The band are fortunate that the track is good enough to let the strange inclusion slide.
Despite the highs, however. ‘BUCK’ also features some of Red Rum Club’s most apparent lows to date. This record attempts to be the band at their heaviest, rawest, and even angriest; this supposed to be the sound of the sextet kicking back against the naysayers and corporate media rejection. Unfortunately, the production and mixing does not remotely reflect this, choosing to keep the slick indie pop stylings that have dominated the band’s previous affairs, instead of letting any grit into the soundscape.
‘Taste’ is an incredibly interesting number for the band, with clear grunge influences that even incorporate a chunky breakdown in the back half; it is another surprising moment from this band, and one that has real, moshable potential. Yet instead of it sounding ferocious and in-your-face, the production makes turns the track into a squeaky clean and disappointingly quiet affair; it doesn’t feel like the killer kick of a bucking stallion, but a horse having a mild tantrum. It is clear from tracks such as ‘Wish I Was Here‘ that the band can pull off grit and heaviness, so it is baffling that they missed the mark on a track that could have been truly phenomenal.
Furthermore, some of the tracks simply lack any real punch. ‘Crush, TX’ and ‘Buck’ are both fairly fun, but feel incredibly similar in execution. ‘Trouble In The Neighbourhood’ has a killer percussion performance, but does little else to stand out, whilst ‘Call Me On Your Comedown’ aims to sound timeless, with it’s bosa nova rhythms and wistful vocals, but just sounds dated. ‘Somebody’s Baby Isn’t Coming Home’ could be the band’s worst track to date; the instrumental goes for a country feel, but sounds comically wonky and half-baked, whilst the lyricism is confusingly grim given the track’s otherwise whimsical. Perhaps worst of all is the fact that this track is used as the closer, leaving the album on a baffling, flat note.
Even considering all of these poor creative choices, ‘BUCK’ is overall another solid entry in the discography of these modern Merseyside legends. The vision for this record may not always be perfectly executed, but it is both clear and commendable; you can truly hear the band attempting to challenge who they are, and when they succeed, they create some of their finest work to date. A record worthy of thirty minutes of your time, and one that shows you can never quite predict where Red Rum Club are heading next.
RATING: 74/100 – Good
For Fans Of: The Wombats, Arcade Fire, Kasabian, The Royston Club, The K’s
Physical copies are available to purchase here.
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