Sunday 9 July 2017

EP: Bob Skeleton - Boiling Point

Bob Skeleton - Boiling Point


Info: Bob Skeleton are a 4 piece Midnight-Pop band from Galway with influences including Miles Kane, Blossoms and Lana Del Rey. Intertwining late night grooves with shimmering melodies to create a dynamic blend of West Coast cool and Mancunian mood. We are Oisin Mod (Guitar, Vox), Rory Ryan (Bass, Vox) Jack Niland (Drums), Eoin Hynes (Guitar). 

Having had their first gig less than a year ago, Bob Skeleton have wasted no time in working their way up to playing with the likes of The Strypes, Paddy Hanna and August Wells. They have now released their third EP, Boiling Point, with seemingly no let up to their output coming anytime soon.

It feels strange to use the term enduring for a band that only released their debut EP roughly 8 months ago, but with Boiling Point already their third extended play, Bob Skeleton's forte's are becoming clearer and clearer. The opening self-titled track encompassing everything, their seemingly chaotic shift between genres mid-song, a solid ying-yang between the main vocals and harmonies and their ability to make loud feel calm.

On 'Vivienne' Bob Skeleton mix jangle-pop with lo-fi slacker-rock, this is where they are at their most comfortable (for now), and it's such an easy listen, almost playful, the track is awash with pleasing melodies and has all the feels of a 90's summer indie hit. 'At Your Best' is very interesting stylistically, their Manchester influences coming through with an indie-pop vibe that recalls James, a missing track from 1993's Laid, and in true Bob Skeleton fashion, at it's mid-way point, throwing in a nice thick bass-line and some dueling guitars and harmonies to flip the mood upwards like a switch.

We finish with 'That's Where You Come In', and the frisky innocence of it's lyrics recounting young love and heart-break, the guitar playing here is a joy also, residing somewhere on the spectrum between Link Wray and Richard Hawley, they certainly do like to shimmer these chaps. In comparison the debut EP Shade and second release If This Isn't Love, Boiling Point finds the Galway four-piece in more nonchalant form in terms of both mood and tempo. Whilst they always steer close to their jangle-pop trademark, they seem to push further and further afield from it with each release, and this is what keeps things fresh, and very engaging.

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