The New Righteous Mood is a new band coming from Moseley in the heart of the Birmingham indie scene. Their new EP, ‘A Few Righteous Tunes’ is going to be released on the 3rd of April 2020.
First track ‘Trail Of Shade’ opens up with some reverb soaked guitars that seem to splash and consume the whole sound, while the drums keep the noise tight and keep the song on track and on the rails. The vocals are reminiscent of much of the American and Australian indie surf scene, such as bands like Surf Curse and The Black lips.
‘Set In Stone’ comes over with some heavier distorted guitars and such a good vocal melody. And the whole thing just makes you wanna get out there and dance. But further in the track it has more of the familiar reverb soaked guitars, and even some very trippy delayed leads in the bridge that pops right back into the chorus again and abruptly ends making you want more like the tease that it is.
The pace slows into the third song, ‘Sleepwalker’, it feels a lot more like a campfire anthem and is very 60’s sounding, albeit still keeping a psychedelic edge. The drums are a lot nicer sounding on this track, they just seem a lot tighter and well mixed. The bass also sounds great on this song and the playing is very nice.
Final song ‘Supermarket Birthday Cake’ is very good and perhaps my favourite on the whole EP. The chorus reminds me of Pulp but the intro and general vibe is the same as getting in a car and driving off in the summer with all your friends and having no fucking clue whats gonna happen by next year or even the end of the month.
I like the way the vocals are mixed in, they sound very lofi and have a similar effect of how a radio host sounds. But it still sounds good, like it seems to fit well because of the light distortion and the cleanish guitars.
Most of the guitars don’t have enough presence in the mix, making the rhythm guitars sound muddy and not loud enough at times, but at the end of the day that’s a very nitpicking observation in a generally charming and nice sounding record.
Another little gripe is that the songs don’t seem to last long enough, especially since the band has a jam vibe to them, it’s a shame to not hear every direction they take for long enough to appreciate each part. But again that is purely because I genuinely loved these songs and the vibe and directions they took. They differ from the generic dime a dozen indie rock bands and have a refreshing and unique sound.
The lead and rhythm guitars seem to really compliment each other well in their playing, almost telling each other to take turns to show off like a magic act. But not at all too flashy. They do exactly what they need to to get their emotion across and no more, which is what I like.
Overall I really enjoyed this band’s direction and each song felt like a journey and I can’t wait to hear what they have cooking for us next!