With how common it has become for strong artists to get watered down by overproduction, it is refreshing to hear some raw, straightforward garage rock made solely for the love of music. Cardiff-based quintet James And The Cold Gun recorded their self-titled debut album (Loosegroove Records) from their very own garage, bringing an astute balance of polish and roughness – in other words, pure rock n’ roll.
‘Chewing Glass’ opens the album with some fast-paced crunchy riffs and rollicking grooves to drive forward James Joseph’s chant-y vocals. This is a recipe that most of the record rides on, but with cleverly arranged dynamics to keep a consistent sense of anticipation. The grooves that aggressively swoop and sway back and forth in songs like ‘Something To Say’ and ‘Headlights’ set up for fulfilling drops into their high-powered choruses, and could have a crowd torn between dancing and moshing.
‘Grey Through The Same Lens’ briefly switches up the energy with a melancholic acoustic jam. Subtle details like string squeaks between chords and simplistic yet emotive lead guitar lines make it feel like the band is playing right in front of you in a dimly-lit living room. The song also shows off Joseph’s ability to write moving harmonies while executing them in such a way that tugs at your heartstrings, leaving you emotionally fatigued just before the distortion and drums kick back in.
I was hoping to hear more combining of these two sides of the band from other songs, as their regular formula becomes a bit redundant in some places. Fortunately, the storming ‘Cheating On The Sun’ rekindled my interest just before the album’s finish. The blustering instrumentals in this one could get an entire stadium of alt-rock lovers moving in an instant, followed by more impassioned harmonies that hit just right for the final chorus.
There is no question that James And The Cold Gun have a burning passion for the music they create. The down-to-earth enthusiastic songwriting coupled with the authenticity of the production are what make these guys worth checking out.
Buy the album here:
https://jamesandthecoldgun.com/
7 / 10
COLLEEN KANOWSKY