Southern Italian band Brothers No More only formed in 2022, making them a relatively new outfit. A quintet the band are comprised of Gerry Guarino - vocals, D. Guarino - guitars, Paolo Langella - bass, Carmine Ciccarone – drums (who has since replaced Francesco 'Bunker' Serra who actually performed on the EP) and Francesco Rizzo on guitars/keyboards. Producer and manager Roberto Forlano is also credited as the 'sixth element' of the group.
The band's label Dirty Beach have always had a pretty strong catalogue, from bands such as 23 and Beyond the Infinite (whose recent efforts I reviewed for The Sleeping Shaman), Atto Seguente and Healthy God, the latter of which I in fact covered for this here site not long ago. One can only hope therefore that Brothers No More measure up, though reading up on their list of influences things look seemingly promising.
'Falling Grace' that touches upon the important theme of women who fall to abuse, some of whom sadly meet an untimely demise, instantly recalls both They Might Be Giants and Talking Heads brand of quirkiness, (divisive groups who aren't everyone's cup of tea) as well as the retro Surf goodness of labelmates the aforementioned 23 and Beyond the Infinite. An interesting start. 'Brothers No More' is a little darker than its predecessor with more of a Post-Punk vibe present, especially with the Peter Hook style Bass. The sound is hardly surprising considering the depressing subject matter (victims of war), though the anthemic qualities actually make this quite a catchy number that contrasts with the otherwise downbeat nature of the music. I was also reminded of Sweden's Light Screamer, a band everyone should be familiar with and which resultantly carried far more appeal for yours truly. 'Technicolor', the first single taken from the album, has an idealistic utopian vision underpinning it and one that is borne out by the genteel Shoegaze of Slowdive and Siamese Dream era Smashing Pumpkins. For me The Pumpkins were always at their strongest when they were vulnerable and heartfelt as opposed to trying to emulate their 1970's Hard Rock heroes. Also it should be pointed out that if you dig post reformation Wire (circa mid 80's) when they were composing fuller sounding less minimalist tracks, then you'll probably get a big kick out of this absolute beaut.
'White Daffodils' the longest track on the album, takes its cues from The Smiths thanks to the Vocal affectations of Morrissey and the Jangly Indie Rock produced by his bandmates messers Johnny Marr, Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke. Nods to fey Scottish Indie legends The Pastels and BMX Bandits are detectable too and despite not being the biggest fan of The Smiths and Twee Indie as a genre, I nonetheless have an appreciation of what Brothers No More are trying to accomplish here. Finally 'The Caregiver' is reminiscent of Sonic Youth's cool detachment albeit less discordant and more melodic. Comparisons can also be drawn to 90's Emo legends Sunny Day Real Estate, back before that genre became a deserved laughing stock, while the subtle Gothic touches also remind one of the mighty Cure, making for what is overall a fantastic track with which to conclude proceedings.
Brothers No More have produced a strong EP with which to commence their musical career. Although there were moments that felt a tad generic and unfortunately had me thinking of bands such as Bloc Party and The Stone Roses, on the whole there was enough going on to impress and intrigue. I'm curious to see where the band head from here.
Comments