Nine Black Alps - 'Love/Hate' (Island) Released 29/10/07

2005’s indie golden boys Nine Black Alps return for a second shot at the title of most talked about band with their grower of an album ‘Love/Hate’ that sees the Manc lads start to grow out of their grunge skins and take their sound further than any would-be doubters would have expected, thus proving that they were worth the attention the first time round. Back in 2005 ‘Everything Is’ was one of the most hyped albums of the “New Band” generation, constantly bigged up as a grunge odyssey that would save your record collection from monotony and make you a better person – all publicity the band tried to shy away from instead making their music speak for itself in the form of a couple of killer singles.

Fast forward a couple of years and we are left with a band still quietly overachieving with an album that showcases a maturity in songwriting, an unabashed penchant for a typical American sound and a love for fusing pop songs with a distortion pedal. The beginning stages of ‘Love/Hate’ definitely throw the listener off a little, opening with an Americana style acoustic guitar until the full band fades in like an early Steve Earle track or You Am I single, countrified in its delivery, it isn’t long until a typically sounding Nine Black Alps solo rings out proving they haven’t gone soft, even though opting for a sweet as pie sing-a-long may have made fans cringe. It isn’t until ‘Burn Faster’ that their recognisable sound rings true as humming guitars surround Sam’s voice before he lets rip into a scream worthy chorus, a true testament to their songwriting ability and their unshakeable talent for sculpting grunge influenced tracks without making them sound like they’re rehashing an overused sound.

Their trials of experimentation into the world of pop shine through with summer soundtracker ‘Happiness And Satisfaction’ – a Beach Boys meets Vines creepy love song that shows there’s no summer without flies through the aid of acoustic guitars and swooning atmospherics, much of the same with ‘Under The Sun’ – an introspective tale of self loathing and a sweet apology to those our frontman may have hurt with a sound somewhere in between Longwave and Explosions In The Sky backing this mournful story up. Pretty heavy stuff at first glance but it’s not all doom and gloom though, as the likes of ‘Everytime I Turn’ is an instant hit with a chorus that will stick in your head for days, the shamelessly radio friendly ‘Future Wife’ which is sickly in its upbeat approach and the Nirvana influenced mosh pit hit ‘So In Love’ prove the band can still rock the fuck out with the best of them.

Overall ‘Love/Hate’ is a strong album from a strong band not yet at their prime. It hints at a band close to making an album that will be hailed as their best, unfortunately this album is not the one, but it’s a pretty damn good benchmark to set by a band so young into their careers.