Review
Review
Album Of The Week: The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness – The Third Wave Of…
The Scottish-Spanish duo smash all expectations to smithereens with a gorgeous album of jangly autumnal indie pop
There’s something undeniably satisfying in a band that sounds so blissfully autumnal taking their name from a song by one of the most blissfully autumnal bands of all time. And while Scottish-Spanish duo The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness christened themselves after a song from The Feelies’ jittery debut album, their musical cues sit closer to the golden-hued jangle of 1986’s The Good Earth. And naturally, given both members’ backgrounds, there’s also more than a touch of The Byrds and their devotees from Tom Petty to Teenage Fanclub.
For their third album, Andrew Taylor (also of Scottish indie outfit Dropkick) and Gonzalo Marcos have assembled what is easily their best set of songs to date. Their previous two records were filled with the kind of sumptuous indie pop that deserves a seat at the top table, alongside Taylor’s countrymen in Teenage Fanclub, Superstar and The Primary Five, but The Third Wave Of… is another step forwards.
The hooks here are designed to stick and stay stuck. ‘As The Day Begins’ splits the difference between Mr Tambourine Man-era Byrds and latter-day TFC, complete with soaring harmonies and a deliciously twangy guitar solo. ‘Look Back’ adds a bit of grit to the mix but its heart is firmly in classic lovesick power pop. The swooning ‘Isolation’ features airy backing vocals from cult singer-songwriter Mary Lou Lord, weeping lap steel and an utterly timeless chorus. The storming ‘In The Right’ and soaring ‘The Stars Go Round’ wrap up a ridiculously solid Side A that might be the best of the year.
Kicking things off in such bold form raises concerns that The Boys can’t possibly maintain such a high standard on the back stretch, but there’s more in the tank. Almost as if the band predicted such scepticism, they open Side B with ‘Open Up The Box’, a song than any of their peers would commit high treason to claim as their own.
By the time the lovely ‘Old Ways’ wraps things up, Taylor and Marcos have left no doubt that their talent for wistful, swooning three-minute guitar pop songs is currently unparalleled. They might be The Boys With The Perpetual Nervousness but this is music to make you feel like everything’s right with the world.
The Third Wave Of… is out now to buy and stream
