Photo: Press
There could be no more regrettable circumstances to be reviewing this album. The four Warrington lads, Jack Dackin, River Reeves, Tomas Lowe, and Kris Leonard, and their manager, Craig Tarry, were on their way to the top of the world, doing all the necessary gigs to get their music heard by the masses, and managing it with supreme confidence, ability, style, and personality. Sadly, their car crashed into the Södertälje canal in Sweden whilst they were on their first tour outside of the UK. So much great talent was lost.
Their debut album, ultimately, wouldn't have been what I'm reviewing now. This is a collection of songs - some complete and some in demo form - that would have entered the table of consideration. Nevertheless, these nine love songs sit together in a beautifully cohesive fashion. It's one of the most energetic indie pop sets you're likely to hear this summer - it's one to belt out loud, and let all your neighbours hear you're enjoying.
Gifting it this upbeat feel is its glistening summery guitar sound that lends from the reverb-laden indie pop sound reminiscent of other 21st Century groups i.e. Peace, The 1975. Yet they employ a distinct Afrobeat-esque technique that shows they had a range of guitar influences that aren’t as predictable as you’d expect from an “indie” band, and it’s a style rooted in far more tropical places than the grey skies of Cheshire. On top of this bedrock, the heart-on-sleeve vocals of singer, Kris Leonard gives the album its narrative strength, and confident swagger.
MORE: Why Viola Beach had what it takes to go all the way
Opener 'Swings and Waterslides', is an apt start. It's the debut track they released and it racked up nearly one million plays combined on Spotify and SoundCloud by January this year – before we tragically lost them. The cut is one of the most optimistic and captures the adrenaline of falling in love with poetic finesse.
Second track, ‘Like a Fool’ has more of a rebellious feel, it shoves two fingers to convention, capturing the empowerment someone can feel at the first moment they realise they can get over a heartbreak.
‘Go Outside’ is slower, a bit more unsettled in feel, and revolves around a central spiky guitar riff. It's a strong level of production for a demo but had this been given full studio treatment, it'd be up there with their bigger sounding singles.
‘Drunk’ indicates just how much of a powerful live band they were thanks to the soaring play out at the end. It shows them letting go, omitting every ounce of physical, and emotional energy into their instruments. The subtle addition of featuring the delay pedal's decay at the fades out shows the band had a level of attention to detail that's needed to become one of the country's most successful bands.
‘Call You Up’ is one of the rawest vocal takes - incredibly matter-of-fact, and you can feel exactly what Kris,or whoever he is referring to is going through is felt. Like a lot of great singers, he had that ability to sound like he’s talking directly to you.
It makes for a more moving , engaging listen than if he was trying to hold a veil. It feels more direct, and all the more devastating that they aren't still with us. It's the sound of four mates in love with life.
- Viola Beach's debut album is released on 29 July
