ALBUM REVIEW: Teardrop Factory 'Thrash In The Heart'

Rating:

Fuzzy, riffy guitar and some seriously distorted vocals backed with drums with uncanny similarity to The Velvet Underground. Teardrop Factory are back and they are sounding better than ever. The album has a sort of psychedelic feel to it; it’s the kind of album that you can really lose yourself listening to. I love the combination of psychedelic laced with a raw indie-like feel. It’s similar to the likes of Peace and Tame Impala (pretty big compliment right there).

The music is a sort of mellow indie-punk mashup, with its strong melodic bass lines and lead guitar, which is accompanied with an overpowering fuzz effect. The psychedelic element is intertwined when the distorted vocals come into play. I also love how the album has been recorded – I instantly think Led Zeppelin! It just sounds so rouge/raw, which is what gives this album its great edge. Most albums released now sound too clean cut almost, but sometimes it’s nice to hear the odd twang of a guitar string or an accidental crash of a symbol.

The album is so, so strong as a whole, but there are a few songs that stick out in particular for various reasons, the first being:

‘Fake Tan’: This is, without a doubt, the strongest song on the album. It sounds heavily Bowie influenced, it’s very Ziggy Stardust. But the bass line is what does it for me, it really draws you in. It’s the bass line that carries the song from start to finish and gives it its mellow, chilled feel – this combines with some fantastic lead guitar licks in between the verses, which are quite thin in texture in comparison, making the formula for a real kick-ass song. And may I remind you that all of this is jammed into just 2:27!

‘Tastes like Medicine’: The guitar at the beginning is interesting, at first I was like, “this is Johnny Marr!” but then I was ok; maybe it’s more like Johnny Marr tuning his guitar? But it’s like when you smell something rotten but can’t stop smelling it because you do really like the smell. I suppose the riff sort of reflects the title, I know that everyone secretly loved the taste of Calpol as a kid! At first, it may sound a bit off, but if you go back and listen again then you’ll see that it’s actually great, and it will be stick in your head for the next week!

‘3AM Coke Dream’: I love how the song opens with a fantastic AC/DC like riff, I had to stop myself from hopping around on one leg on listening to it for the first time. It’s definitely one of the more commercial tracks on the record; it can sound slightly poppy in parts, but its acceptable pop, not cheesy pop, and that’s why I love it.

It’s a really solid album overall and I would recommend it to anyone. Especially if you’re into the Velvet Underground or Peace, as well as anyone who’s into anything riff-heavy because this album is packed with some killer riffs, just waiting for you to sink your teeth into.

Thrash In The Heart is released on 15th September via Faux Discx