They've become the hip name to drop just recently, they went down a storm at South By Southwest earlier in the year and even our very own musicOMH.comUnsigned Guide was raving about them back in April. So, are Tapes'N'Tapes the second coming in indie music or overhyped and over here?
Well, a bit of both to be honest. Insistor is nervy, intoxicating and utterly addictive, with lead singer Josh Grier boasting an uncanny vocal similarity to Black Francis. Musically, it's like an unholy alliance of The Pogues, Gogol Bordello and Pavement, with nods to the angular excitement of Bloc Party in there as well. Not to mention some truly insane lyrics that don't make any kind of sense yet work beautifully ("Oh Kelly, who's the logger whose trees were felled with might?" asks one particularly abstract line).
The only drawback is that there isn't anything particularly new or original here. Admittedly it's done incredibly well, but when a similar buzz built around Arcade Fire last year, it led people to check out a unique band with a extraordinary sound. That's not the case here, but if the hype can be held in check, then Insistor could well be the introduction to your new favourite band. Don't expect too much of them, and they could produce something really special.
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