It could be the latest ruse by a record label - tell the world that the band "insist on recording one-take, first-take or forget about it" songs. This means no producer, no studio, no costs to speak of. Essentially, this is the story of Sunderland quartet The Golden Virgins.
With references of Iggy Pop and Velvet Underground, their brand of simplistic, guitar-based songs comes across as Clinic without the production. Debut single is consequently not as atmospheric as the Liverpudlian foursome, but it's every bit as good. The best moment - and it's worth waiting for it - comes with a Wild West movie moment of manly choral conclusion which calls Enrico Morricone to mind.
The remaining tracks Staying Sober and From the Garage to the Country constitute a mixed bag. The first is a morose lament on the wonders of being drunk, while the latter is alt-country through and through, a sort of Menlo Park meets REM. If all this was recorded in one take, we have a very exciting new band on our hands. Hell, we have anyway.
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