I think the press for this said the word shoegaze so I feared the worst; in 1991 that term filled me with excitement but in 2015 it invariably fills me with dread. No dread here.
The tunes of Tape Runs Out are haunting and catchy and expertly conceived. To label this shoegaze is to do this music a disservice. Closer to stuff like Pale Saints, or Dif Juz, or even Talk Talk, this is guitar-based indie that skirts the edges of a few genres and seems wholly formed and original.
"Friends" purrs like early New Order, when the band was still trying to sound like Ian Curtis was at the mic, while "Flowers" recalls the moments when David Sylvian could still produce music that hit at something deep inside you. A warm keyboard figure anchors this one but the tune succeeds mainly due to the drums and guitar lines here.
I'm ready to hear much more from Tape Runs Out. While we're waiting for those cuts to surface, we can follow the band on their official website, or their official Facebook page, or via the Ear to Ear Records website.
[Photo: Lauren Marsh]