ALBUM REVIEW: Welcome to The Neighbourhood – Boston Manor
Building upon and keeping the momentum up for the British emo-punk scene, BOSTON MANOR have done something quite interesting with their newest record Welcome To The Neighbourhood. Acknowledging their successes but also the limitations on their well received debut, the Blackpool five piece have openly admitted to being scared to take risks on previous releases but have managed to find the courage after their explosive rise following their punky and emotional earlier material. Stepping out the box by a significant margin, the band were right to not be scared to take risks, but the results are certainly varied.
It’s the weird and frankly off putting vocal melodies in the synthy title-track opener that set the seeds of doubt early. It isn’t the best thing the band have done, and it’s a step too far out the comfort zone that doesn’t meet expectations, but it does do a good job at setting the tone for the rest of the album. Gritty, Brit-pop sensibilities are taken and moulded by their previous emo-punk musings to great effect on following track Flowers In Your Dustbin, that has a choked, bassy opening riff that injects immediate and trademark energy back into proceedings. Lead single Halo confirms that the band are still able to write anthems with the best of them, that remains consistent with the grit the rest of the album chews on.
There are moments when BOSTON MANOR prove themselves to be incredibly effective at writing subdued yet still emotionally impactful music, as is displayed with ease across Tunnel Vision and Bad Medicine. One thing that does seem to be changed is the shift of lyrical themes from relationship woes to more outward influences and societal stuff. Funeral Party bathes in the displacement society breeds amongst the youth of today and is all the better for it, even if those looking for emotionally charged lyrics of a different kind might take to it all a bit later than others. The album feels to be departing and venturing into unknown waters whilst using the safety of song structure to carry them through. A lot of the songs feel incredibly safe, as they hide behind choruses that sometimes don’t hit the same heights as others. Digital Ghost is one such culprit, boasting a catchy chorus if only for its simplicity.
The band do embody the entrapped feeling living on such an isolated island can bring with it. The suburban stress of feeling born into a certain life and wanting to break free. This is the best thing about Welcome To The Neighbourhood and it is something that it wears with absolute pride. The themes and vibes are consistent across the whole album and soak through every song. Even if the individual songs don’t stand up on their own as well as previous cuts from the bands back catalogue, as a working entity, Welcome To The Neighbourhood feels more concise and well thought out, something that definitely allures to a deeper maturity within the band.
BOSTON MANOR have done a great job at evolving past the sound that made them one of the most promising outfits in the British scene. Certainly hit and miss, what Welcome To The Neighbourhood misses it lands two fold, with the entire album feeling more of a complete package that simply lacks some of the knock out bangers the band have become known for. Simply combining the moody and gritty atmosphere of Welcome To The Neighbourhood with the song quality of Be Nothing could see BOSTON MANOR rocket to the top of the pile in the blink of an eye.
Rating: 6/10
Welcome To The Neighbourhood is out now via Pure Noise Records.
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