Trevor’s Head are self-described as the most exciting thing to come out of Redhill, Surrey in three centuries. Without being a local, a quick investigation suggests little of note from the town bar the Foundling Museum setting up a school in the 1920’s and the construction of the M23 Motorway nearby during the seventies (thanks Google) and very little else of note, so this is most certainly a tongue in cheek boast. It is one that certainly sells the band short however as evidenced on the intriguing genre-melding on display on their latest album A View From Below (APF Records).

Album opener ‘Call of the Deep’ hits the ground from the offset and for the uninitiated sets expectations of what is to come; fuzzy and fast guitar work sitting somewhere between punk and stoner, with vocals that veer between sharp abrasion and the more serene as it broaches more ambient moments. The following, more aggressive ‘Under My Skin’ arguably cements this initial impression that this is going to proceed as an ultimately fun stoner rock record which may not push too many boundaries, once again aided by the bluesy licks within ‘Grape Fang’. 

This impression is quickly shattered with the seven-plus minute ‘Elio’ which shows a more prog and folk aura with stripped-back instrumentation alongside use of mellotron, violin, and chant-like singing for the most part before a subtle bridging into heavier riffing in the song’s latter half. It is this point which, on an initial listen, arguably brings to mind the greater, subtle diversity that exists throughout the album, in subtle contrasting motions from punk and grunge-like passages and more melancholic aspects and in vocals that shift between appropriate barks and the more vulnerable. 

Using a wide palette of styles within one’s work can have very mixed results and can often prove messy, but the way Trevor’s Head brings such diversity together in a way that isn’t necessarily too obvious at first makes A View From Below an engaging and ultimately rewarding listen which provides greater nuance with repeated listens and enough hooks to draw you in on at the offset. 

They may well be self-deprecating by dubbing themselves Redhill’s most exciting export in 300 or so years, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a true fact.

Buy the album here:

https://apfrecords.co.uk/albums/a-view-from-below

7 / 10

CHRIS TIPPELL