Do you remember in 2004 or so when suddenly there seemed to be a lot of bands from England making punchy, tuneful alt-rock? It's not that there are not always such bands coming from the UK, but that at that moment, a decade on from the New Wave of New Wave and Britpop booms, there was still enough life in the genre to inspire a lot of cool guitar-oriented acts again.
Sounding remarkably like Maximo Park with a dash of Bloc Party, Liverpool's Courting are here to rock your socks off. The group's new record, Lust for Life, Or; 'How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story' is out on March 14. It's full of this sort of thing but today we focus on "Pause at You", the fiery new single and video.
This one cruises forward on a sharp guitar riff, chords crashing as things reach a near fever pitch. This is a number that's a tiny bit abrasive but which is still catchy. That combination is a good one, and it's what makes Courting such a formidable prospect. We'll have to check in with their full-length when it's ready soon.
Lust for Life, Or; 'How To Thread The Needle And Come Out The Other Side To Tell The Story' by Courting is out on March 14. Details on the band via their Bandcamp, or official website.
[Photo: Charlie Barclay Harris]