Southampton band Thomas Tantrum is about to release an album that is not only polished but also boasts an indie-pop sound that is ‘verging on perfection’, according to its unsurprisingly enthusiastic press release.
High praise indeed! Mad by Moonlight is the band’s second album and is apparently concerned with lack of sleep, which is something that everyone can surely sympathise with. Tracks like ‘Hot Hot Summer’ belie that lack of sleep with its energetic and jangly guitars; even the lyrics seem chipper. Who’s chipper with a lack of sleep, eh? Anyway, lead singer Megan Thomas sings the particularly lovely lines ‘I don’t like this anymore than you. In the freezing winter, I’ll be your hot, hot summer’ which are propelled along on a really catchy beat. Sure, it won’t be a hit (look, the charts are absolutely awful, go and check) but it’s a fine summer tune and is surprisingly catchy.
‘Only Human’ is equally fine, with a really clear sound letting all the instruments play their parts effectively; it builds up to an instrumental section that’s on the right side of classy Eighties synth music. ‘Betty Blue’ injects the album with some much needed xylophone goodness. It’s another tune that is, yes, polished and sounds great.Perhaps the highlight is ‘Cold Gold’, which takes all the best bits of the album – hand claps, great guitar work, uplifting falsetto single and a spoken word ending – and pops it into one tune. ‘Cold Gold’ is close to being as good as the press release makes it out to be.
