Well, talk about eclectic. This second release from Essex four-piece Switches bounces about all over the place, to such effect that it's likely to leave your head spinning by the time you've reached the final track.
By far the most successful moment is the title track - employing the now ubiquitous indie-disco-funk stomp it comes across like Franz Ferdinand covering Blur and is almost ridiculously catchy. You'll probably wake up in the middle of the night humming the chorus, and even though The Blood Arm released an almost identical sounding single a few weeks ago, that doesn't detract from Lay Down The Law's sheer excellency.
It's the other tracks on the EP that leave one a tad confused though. Solid Gold features a droning guitar over some soft-rock style vocals, which become a bit wearying after a while, while I've Got A Problem is a rather twee knees-up that sounds like something The Beatles would toss off when they were they bored. Final track She'll Push Me Away is pastoral and beautiful, all plucked guitars and swooning vocals.
So although the variety here is to be celebrated, it does leave one a tad confused about who Switches want to be. Whether it be post-Franz Britpop revivalists, or something a bit more experimental, Lay Down The Law indicates that Switches can turn their hand to whatever they feel like.
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