‘…a creative, expansive spin on indie tropes that makes essential listening for anybody declaring themselves a fan of the scene…’
Sculpted from the remnants of The Night Cafe, a Liverpool indie pop outfit that garnered a strong following from 2014 through to 2023, Cruel Season sees longtime friends Josh Higgins, Carl Dillon and Arran O’Connell-Whittle teaming up with Dylan Roberts for a fresh start.
Releasing their debut single in late July, the band followed it up with a short run of shows in September that saw the band sell out venues in Liverpool, Manchester, and London. Now, ahead of another tour that will bring them to new locations of Birmingham, Leeds and Nottingham, the band have released their debut EP, ‘Colours’.
Skeptics may well argue that Cruel Season’s success is purely down to prior achievements with The Night Cafe, but this is an easily disarmed argument when one factors in the matter that the music is simply fantastic. Folding elements of 90’s guitar pop and country into a soft indie-rock backbone, ‘Colours’ manages to be both a subtle and cinematic experience to behold, as the band layer luscious guitar work over simple, snappy rhythms and tender yet deeply compelling vocal melodies.
Bass lines are approached with a quietly complex and melodic mindset, which when compounded with the steadfast drums, leads to a rhythm department that is remarkably effective across all five tracks here. ‘Million Miles’ commences as soft indie for line dance classes, before building towards a gently glittering climax, adorned with restrained synths. ‘Signal’ and ‘Crawl’ offer just a hint of grit, perfectly rounding out the beautifully melancholic approach that Cruel Season possess; there is a sense of yearning running deep throughout every element that is perhaps only surpassed by Hozier himself.
The experience that exists within Cruel Season is evident to behold, but there is so much more on display than simply that; these are talented, driven musicians who have a clear vision for what they seek this outfit to be. ‘Colours’ is a creative, expansive spin on indie tropes that makes essential listening for anybody declaring themselves a fan of the scene. There is a very real chance this band could be massive.
RATING: 79/100
For Fans Of: Dear Boy, Haytor, The Police, The 1975, AMBERS
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