I Feel Fine follow up their 2018 debut EP ‘Long Distance Celebration’ with their first long player – ‘The Cold in Every Shelter’. Released via Venn Records, the release comes ahead of a few tour dates with Lakes and finds the Brighton-based four-piece examining their own actions – and what they can learn from them: ‘The album is an inward study of the self, working through personal insecurities and worries of missed opportunities, as well as a general feeling of being out of sync with the rest of the world. However, there is a silver lining in that this is not necessarily a unique complex and, in fact, one that many of us look to overcome.’
The brilliantly titled ‘Something New to Worry About’ opens the album in slow-burning and atmospheric style – gently paced drums gradually being joined by deliberately drawn out and gorgeously twinkly guitar tones before the band burst into some TWIABP-style gang vocals. Recent single ‘Elemenohpea’ follows, heading into more of a Cursive-style wonky pop direction before ‘Million’ slows things down again with heart-on-the-sleeve emotion. There are potent drums in the introduction to ‘The Ladder’, a song that features call-and-response vocals about trying to find chinks of light through a chaotic mindset – even though ‘time’s against me’. Lead single ‘Selfsame’ falls somewhere between Algernon Cadwallader and The Appleseed Cast as Joe Kool delivers guitarist Nathan Tompkins’ heartfelt observations about different interpretations of the truth: ‘I thought I was being honest’.
‘Sail Maker’ has an urgency from the get-go, which you can feel in the vocal delivery and playing – especially during the spiky stop-start moments. The penultimate ‘Where the Clouds End’ is more inward looking before the album draws to a close with the 7-and-a-half-minute ‘Fold’. This song opens with plenty of mathy melodies before the band add a healthy dose of screaming to the mix. As it progresses, the sound swirls into a more post-rock direction, leaving a huge impact on anyone who will listen.
Although the themes and subjects may be difficult, they are important… ‘The Cold in Every Shelter’ is a pure and honest collection of songs that will warm your heart.
I FEEL FINE live dates w/ LAKES:
30.7.21 – London – Signature Brew
19.9.21 – Brighton – The Hope & Ruin
20.9.21 – Cardiff – Venue TBC
21.9.21 – Bristol – The Exchange
22.9.21 – Kingston – Fighting Cocks
