Your reviewer comes upon THE ALPS with a number of glowing reports of their prowess ringing in his ears, and for once the rumour mill seems to have got it right. At least on the basis of these three tunes, youthful quartet THE ALPS are sounding fully-formed and rather fantastic a meagre 18 months into their existence as a band.
"The Shining" kicks us off and it's a corker: a slice of dramatic, slow-burning pop with wired, songwriterly leanings, recalling the likes of Pulp, The Auteurs and early Costello, with lead singer Daniel Heptinstall making an unstinting play for his perfect girl. She's quite an object of desire, too, if the tremendous "you lift the world from my shoulders baby" chorus is anything to go by.
Both "Wake Up Call" and the closing "As It Comes" comfortably maintain the standard, too. The former again benefits from beefily-struck, staccato riffing and an ambitous drive of a tune pepped up by grand flecks of piano from Sam Brace. Heptinstall's yearning, gravelly voice is again well to the fore and this one has a quintessentially English anthemic quality without resorting to Oasis-aping. "As It Comes" is different again, though possibly even catchier. This time, it rides along atop twangy, growling basslines and skanking, itchy guitars redolent of Madness and The Coral. The chorus is a lovely sunburst of a thing and it all serves notice aplenty that The Alps will not remain in the industry's foothills for much longer.
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Wrap up warm , grab the provisions and be ready then. For The Alps, the ascent starts here.
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