Layout - Funland

Liverpool has produced quite a number of artists over the decades, The Beatles, The LA’s, Echo and the Bunnymen, Lightning Seeds, Cast…none of whom particularly float my boat. However when I received a direct message on Instagram recently from Liverpudlian label Kooltone Records, what caught my attention was the Jason Stoll of Godunknown Records, Twin Sister, Sex Swing, Jaaw, KLAMP and Playhouse connection, the latter’s Dynamo compilation coming out on Godunknown in 2024.

Layout sees Pete Power (Vocals/Guitar) of the aforementioned Playhouse teaming up with Mugstar’s Steve Ashton (Drums) and Rob McLean (Bass). I was also struck by the record’s promotional notes and the musical comparisons to bands who I’ve been enjoying for decades at this point. That was me sold on choosing to review the record.

‘70 Miles’ is wondrous, one band which came to mind while listening to it was Jawbreaker, what with thewonderful post Nirvana Grungy Pop-Punk, noisy yet packed full of infectious melodies and hooks, such as can be found on albums such as 24 Hour Revenge Therapy. Barely two minutes long yet providing us with a breezy top notch start to the album. ‘Notice’ is a little slower, the trio adopting a Dinosaur Jr slacker vibe, but one a little more introspective and withdrawn than the incarnation that existed between ‘84 to ’89. BothWhere You Been and Without a Sound come to mind and as someone with a fondness for those records (underrated in my opinion) I enjoyed what the band have to offer here. ‘Seen a Ghost’ is pure lo-fi Sebadoh goodness with the Vocals prioritising an emotional immediacy and vulnerability much like that of Lou Barlow’s. ‘Only Working’ is wonderful late 80’s Sonic Youth, strains of records such as Daydream Nation and tracks such as the iconic ‘Teenage Riot’ obviously apparent. The chiming Guitars and powerful walls of fuzz reminding you of how great Indie was before Britpop came along and turned it into a tedious 60’s revival fest.

Admittedly Superchunk rarely if ever feature in my playlists, however ‘Popcorn’ expert use of quiet/louddynamics reminds me to definitely start giving that band more attention. Its so well written and catchy that you’ll undoubtedly find yourself jamming it a fair bit. ‘Part of Me’ once again sees Dinosaur Jr making their influence known, all that’s missing is J Mascis’ vocal drawl. Layout also recall pre Wake Up! Boo Radleys in how they still manage to take Dinosaur as an influence without sounding at all derivative and that takes skill.‘She Shows You’ is interesting, more experimental and ‘Post-Rock’ sounding, the whole affair seems more restrained and less overdriven. Thankfully it avoids some of the pitfalls of that genre such as pretension and there’s a subtle REM twang present, at least to my ears (‘Pretty Persuasion’?). A welcome change tempo wise and stylistically.

‘Why Are You Asking Me’ hints at Power Pop and the criminally overlooked Posies as well as the deservedly well regarded Sugar, meanwhile ‘All The Way’ contains shades of Psychedelia albeit with a much darker, dare I say sludgier feel, a downbeat number its a reminder of why I fell hard for Grunge in the first place. This is a fantastic piece which even the most diehard stubborn Metalhead would appreciate. ‘Secret Tunnel’ recalls Bob Mould’s other band, the legendary Husker Du, not only is it louder than hell but it is also deliciously angst ridden, a fittingly superb conclusion to the album.

Funland is a powerful sonic reminder of how amazing Indie used to be and how it could both resonant and kick ass simultaneously, recommended.