You are hit loud, fast and outrageously hard by The New Fabian Society as their way of a hello in the opening moments of the Glaswegian trio's debut EP, Naltrexone. The sound permeates violently as you're hit unassumingly but TNFC do so in such a deliciously endearing way, you just want more.
In Love With A Killer delivers an upbeat, fast tempo and exhilarating opening track. It's a sign of things to come from these guys. The brutality of the guitar matches perfectly with the heavy drums and frequency of cymbals, which culminates in an infectious match made in music heaven. Imagine such a thing? Muffled vocals follow the catchy chorus and I'm instantly taken aback 15 years and I'm in my dad's '96 Rover listening to the pearls of the 80's from the best of his cassette collection. The haziness, the distorted vocals, the mixture of it all is so much more than I ever expect from a band now.
Aching guitar slides you slowly into Haemorrhage. Instantly the listener is taken to a place of uncertainty as the guitar turns to a shade of sinister beauty. Coupled with Michael's vocals taking a step down to remove the luscious 80's slick but enough to maintain the edge of his voice. An explicit overhaul of trickling guitar lines, beautifully thrashing cymbals and hauntingly smooth and inconspicuous vocals amount to unverified anthemic glory.
Blaring, rowdy and atypical punk guitar welcomes you into Bind as vocals take a turn for the bleariest yet. Me, I love the bleary eyed confusion seeping from this track, I relish the opportunity to put all focus on the instruments and away from the somewhat over importance of words, but you may not be able to fully appreciate this and instead, find the distortion a matter of irritation. You decide.
Geneva transforms you into a torpedo of sound. A rupture of full mental awareness. The music feels it's hurling you round and you’re lost to the mesmeric essence of it all. Relish it, enjoy it, maybe even spin a bit. It feels great. This music might not be destined to take you on an emotional journey of self discovery, but it will make you feel something. Something of hypnotic and exciting proportions.
- Melanie McKinley
The New Fabian Society - Naltrexone is out now via Electric Company and available as a 'name-your-price' download here.