They’re from Manchester, they have guitars and raw production, they have to suck, right? It’s a pretty mathematical formula, and one which Nine Black Alps (who take their name from a Sylvia Plath line) are only too happy to defy.
Rather than sit comfortably on their asses, creatively speaking, Nine Black Alps craft songs that have pop structures in the verse/chorus sense, a moody garage rock aesthetic, and energy enough for three bands. The choruses of “Over The Ocean” and “Shot Down” are like glue for the mind, but NBA are more than just the sum of their harmonics.
The band, easy to label and write off as “another British act” is actually making some interesting music, not just mindlessly chugging out half-assed riffs and calling it minimalism. That alone is enough to earn them praise, never mind the strength of the material. Here’s to the demise of apathetic rock.
In A Word: Surprising
