ALBUM REVIEW: Torus – Torus

TORUS‘s self-titled debut album almost never happened. Comprised of frontman and founding member Alfie Glass, bassist Harry Quinn and drummer Jack Orr, the band’s rapid rise to fame after the release of their critically-acclaimed debut EP Sail saw them busier than ever and a far cry from their days as a one-man project in a bedroom near Milton Keynes. From the outside it looked like a dream, but behind closed doors the band put the issues they faced down to a lack of communication. But after deciding to pour their hearts and feelings into their album, the trio learnt how to open up to one another, creating a raw and honest album in the process.

Whether it is the indie rock of opener Avalanche, the fast-paced, instrument-driven Into The Clear, or the slower, OASIS-esque When It Comes, TORUS are not a band that it is easy to put into one distinct box. Although the first three songs do sometimes sound a little similar, the rest of the album is full of twists and turns.

Throughout the twelve songs, Torus never loses focus, although some songs, like All Of Me, don’t quite fit in – in this case it’s due to some overproduction which causes the sound to be a little distorted. But elsewhere there are tracks like the fast-paced Downfall that cleverly starts off sounding like the trio are playing on the radio before launching into the song, which is highly energetic and brings the album back up to speed.

Highs like this make up for the odd low, and the pacing of the album is mostly fast and energetic, apart from the closing track Speed Trial, which starts off slow before picking up speed. It’s the longest song on the album and clocks in at over six minutes, this ensuring that the changes in pacing do not affect the overall flow and quality of the record.

Overall, TORUS‘ self-titled debut album is a brilliant one. It’s cohesive in its sound and the band grow in confidence and even throw in some experimentation as it goes on, although this is done in a subtle way so as to not take away from the cohesive nature of the album. The high-energy will translate well live, and the production is mostly fantastic. It is clear that TORUS know what they want to sound like, and even though this is their debut album, the only limits they have are the ones they put on themselves.

Rating: 8/10

Torus is set for release on September 13th via MNRK Music/Inside Job.

Like TORUS on Facebook.