Barnsley’s This Condition are one of a number of indie band in town and when I got asked to check them out, I did roll my eyes a few times.
No need to worry; the first listen of their new EP was a corker. Crucified, with its droning, chime-like guitars and a nice Kasabian like beat are flanked by anthemic backing vocals. Sure, it’s darker than the usual indie fair but that is definitely no bad thing. Along with Barnsley’s Toba Caldera and Exit Calm, it’s nice to see that we have bands that aren’t afraid to step out of those sometimes strict indie Britpop boundaries. That slick 60’s illustration belays the psychedelic rock below.
Moral Panic takes that well trodden T-Rex guitar riff that Oasis built a career out of and takes it to that territory where Madchester collided with shoegaze with bands like Ride. Throwing Stones is definitely buried firmly in The Stone Roses’ back garden but that is no bad thing; they’re totally faithful to the craft of that sound and is definitely a credit a credit to vocalist Johnny Walman for holding his own and not really sounding like any particular vocalist.
Hide From the Sun follows the same pattern; a lush tripped out introduction of sea sound samples and a bass line a la I Wanna Be Adored or early The Verve. I’d happily lay in a field in 1994 listening to this with a beer.
Closing track This Tortured Soul doesn’t offer much different but nevertheless, it and the rest of the EP is done well.
This Condition are at their best when they tread the darker path; fusing a number of early 90’s genres in reverb and tripped out sonics. I’d love to hear more variation on future recordings but at the same time, I’d love to stumble across those bass lines in a sun drenched festival this summer. Cracking.
RATING: 7.5/10
Alternative Barnsley 