Some bands try hard. They worry about the image, their influences, the chart and all that guff. Rather stupidly though, these bands forget all about the music. This Many Boyfriends are no such band. Their self-titled debut is an album packed full of perfect pop songs, and quite possibly the best new release this year.
No tricks here, just pure pop perfection. It's easy to compare them to The Smiths, mainly because they are possibly the closest thing we have to such a band in the current musical landscape, a band you can believe in and become ridiculously attached to. With lyrics referencing excellent and often obscure bands, they're almost like the kids at school you realise are secretly effortlessly cool after they've been mocked for years (no hint of bitterness here at all, honest). The added bonus is that the songs are actually good too.
Take 'That's What Diaries Are For', which you can download the demo of below). It not only serves as an excellent indie pop song (one that will surely become a classic, just look how right I was about Spector) but as advice to the youth of today, god knows they need it. Two minutes or so of absolute pearls of wisdom like "Don't listen to Kylie and Jason" or "Don't rip apart your favourite dress just to make it look like that". Oh and I'll happily take any opportunity to shout "We all got bullied at school, some of us just took it better".
Having been a fan of This Many Boyfriends for a while, its nice to see how their previous singles and demos have been beefed up on this, with Ryan Jarman from The Cribs on production duties (thanks for giving me another reason to love him TMB). Tracks that once may have sounded just a little bit twee now have balls attached, and you can't beat music with balls. Not that I'm saying there's anything wrong with just a little bit of twee ...
What there is in this album is a collection of songs that will uplift even the most miserable (someone get Morrissey a copy stat). As we're fast approaching the dark and dismal days of winter, this is the dream soundtrack to those evenings where it is too cold to do anything. Indie pop that you can't help but tap your feet and smile along to. And the catchy sing along choruses are really not to be sniffed at either.
It's hard to pick a favourite track on the album, its almost like trying to pick a favourite child, I feel that strongly about it. But, if forced at gunpoint I had to make the heart-wrenching decision, the accolade would surely go to 'I Don't Like You ('Cos You Don't Like The Pastels)'. It's quite frankly the best ode to musical compatibility since 'High Fidelity'. Music matters, people!
The fast paced energetic numbers capture the imagination and interest on first listen to this album, and handily restore my faith in bands and guitar music in one fell swoop. And most recent single 'Number 1' is a superbly lilting number, including excellent lyrics like "We were caught out bathing in our winter clothes, it was raining, faces flushed, our bodies shivered, wet clothes were never considered." Don't knock it, investing in it might just be the best thing you ever do.
9.0/10
'This Many Boyfriends' is available to pre-order at amazon.co.uk. Find more info at thismanyboyfriends.com.
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