ALBUM REVIEW: My Other People – TV Priest
With their debut album Uppers, TV PRIEST married the caustic intensity of post-punk with a strong sense of maturity in their songwriting and the record garnered so many plaudits. Now the London four-piece follow up that debut with My Other People, and it sees the band break new ground with a much more personal and tender album. The post-punk edge, and to a degree the caustic vibe, is still there of course, but these have been joined by a much more introspective feel which elevates the songs consistently.
From triumphant opening number One Easy Thing to the laidback glory of closing number Sunland, this album shows how much TV PRIEST have developed as band and how their songs sound even more personal and vulnerable this time around. Vocalist Charlie Drinkwater excels throughout with a brilliant display as his vocals soar above the pulsating rhythms that the rest of the band create. His Nick Cave-esque vocals balance perfectly with the music that they sit atop and the results sound like a mixture of cautious joy and heartbreak with a glint of redemption.
Songs like The Happiest Place On Earth and Unravelling are gloriously tender, while more energetic songs like Bury Me In My Shoes, It Was Beautiful and It Was A Gift demonstrate the power of the band perfectly; both of these vibes work together to create a brilliant harmony in sound.
The album flows with a positive energy constantly and as the songs glide into one another (and glide is a term that works perfectly to describe it), the band strengths shine repeatedly. Those strengths are both multiple and obvious and they show just how much TV PRIEST have grown as a band and will continue to grow. The fact that they had only played a solitary gig before their debut album proves what a band they are, but now with this album under their belts, their confidence will be sky high and it will be an immense occasion to see these songs played in a live setting.
Having mentioned Nick Cave earlier, a perfect analogy would be that TV PRIEST‘s debut is THE BIRTHDAY PARTY compared to My Other People‘s journey firmly into prime BAD SEEDS territory, and this is definitely proof of how much they have grown. The intensity of the band is still there, but it’s channelled in a more mature way this time around.
My Other People is a great album and definitely sees TV PRIEST ascending with their music. This is a triumphant collection of songs that will enchant you, make you relate to them and captivate you in equal measure, all soundtracked by some of the best soundscapes you will hear all year.
Rating: 7/10
My Other People is out now via Sub-Pop.
Like TV PRIEST on Facebook.