Sprouting from Leeds’ increasingly fertile alternative music nursery in recent years, about-faces brings a cinematographic vision to the indie rock music scene. Shaped by the harmonious dual vocals of cousins Sennen Ludman and Danielle Capstick, the band takes over the broad-shouldered legacy left by legends like The Cure, The Killers, and The Neighbourhood, adapting it to today’s frantic state of mind.
Far from Minimalism, a Voluminous Return
Shedding the cold and minimalist post-punk attitude that has held UK guitar music captive in recent times, about-faces turns its face toward much richer arrangements. Rather than turning down the melodies, they choose to magnify them, constructing a flamboyant and extroverted widescreen rock aesthetic.
“Guestlist” and Behind the Velvet Ropes
The band’s new work, “Guestlist,” dissects the glamorous yet equally isolated nature of nightlife. We listen to the conflict between the instantaneous thrill of getting onto VIP lists and stepping behind velvet ropes versus that fundamental human need to simply be understood and connect. Rather than describing an ordinary night out at a club, the song focuses on the irony of feeling invisible in the middle of a crowd.
Festival Exuberance and Intimacy
Driven by shimmering guitars and upbeat rhythms, the production lifts the listener up at every chorus as if they were in the middle of a festival field. However, this extroverted sense of celebration does not remain suspended in thin air thanks to the intimacy carried by the lyrics; on the contrary, it creates a solid ground for our real-life relationships and internal reckonings.
Apartman No:26 Note
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about-faces is a band remarkably talented at telling those peculiar stories of loneliness hidden behind flashy and rhythmic melodies.
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“Guestlist” serves as a sonic portrait of the sense of alienation that hits you in the face when you finally enter that popular crowd you so badly wanted to join.
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A spot-on choice for those tired of alternative songs moving in the same endless shade of gray and looking for a more voluminous, colorful rock track to belt along with on the radio.
