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Much will be muttered about Pull In Emergency's formation, not least
their school-band-done-good story, emerging from north London
but managing to undo the shackles that tie down most
elementary bands to Green Day covers and pitiful metal-by-numbers.
It's difficult not to have your opinion dictated by the fact that this
outfit is so youthful and admittedly inexperienced, particularly when their self-titled debut
offers little in terms of surprises.
Granted, the instrumentation is
not unlike the sorts of sounds coming from more established acts - tied down
and tight - and it resembles the immediacy of fellow fresh-faced outfit
Bombay Bicycle Club.
And whilst Faith Barker's rich vocals could sound more suited
alongside a clich�d pop setup, in her lies the only valuable asset
setting the band apart from the mediocrity of The Pigeon
Detectives and countless subsequently appearing and disappearing
acts that never made it past a couple of raucous, sweaty local gigs.
She does well to add variety to a static set of chords and riffs
slugged out by her bandmates, providing a much needed energy to
Backfoot's chorus and appearing to dictate the sombre mood of the
anthemic Planes.
However, this talented singer is merely doing her best under
the circumstances. She's fronting - and, not to forget, she's partly
responsible for - a dated sound: guitar-based indie with sharp, spiky
riffs and a harsh, relentless pace. This sound - once wildly popular as it
was amongst the rush of curly-haired, cigarette-smoking
young men who played their part in bulking up a
music scene - has certainly seen better days. Perhaps merely calling the album out
of trend would be a shallow criticism, but even in its heyday, indie
fans wouldn't have plucked Pull In Emergency from a cast of
thousands, so average is their sound and image.
This collection of songs lacks the necessary components - among them, credible stimulation
and an original, inspired idea - to step out of nowhere
with invention and charm. But the ironically titled opener Everything
Is The Same and all that follows feels too easily put together from hobby-kit
instructions. And whilst the band are undoubtedly capable of keeping a tune,
it's up to them to create substance of a little more originality. Instead, they're left with their youth, backstory, and
fickle nature to provide the excuses. It's not nearly enough.
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