In the words of Kyle from South Park - "I learned something today". That thing was that it is indeed possible to heart a band so hard that you think you might burst.
TTNG (formerly This Town Needs Guns) are the band I'm talking about and I have loved them since I first heard them about 4 years ago - being a relative late-comer to their music.
I'm not normally given to hyperbole in the extreme, but my God, you're going to get some in this post. I have genuinely not been as excited about an album coming out since the band's last, which was released back in 2013 - and I was excited for that - like combusting excited.
So you can imagine what the last three years have been like.
It's rare for me to find a band that fill me with as much joy as these guys do. If I could put my finger on every single reason why, I'd distill it, bottle it and wear it like a perfume, because the sort of happiness they impart in my brain is something I rarely experience any other time.
Before we go any further - here are all the necessary links you need to get yourself acquainted with them:
Their bandcamp page:
thistownneedsguns.bandcamp.com/album/disappointment-island
Their Twitter page:
twitter.com/TTNGuk
Their Facebook page:
facebook.com/ttnguk/
Their website:
ttng.net/
The band (now a trio) feature the sublime, heartbreaking vocals of Henry Tremain and brothers Tim and Chris Collis, the latter a brilliantly idiosyncratic drummer, the former - surely one of the most accomplished and talented guitarists in recent years.
Disappointment Island (apparently it's a genuine Island off the south coast of New Zealand - and not, as I feared they'd name it after, my tits), has actually been a real labour of love, pretty much taking three years to put together and release.
Listener, it will not let you down if you decide to commit to it. Over the last few weeks, they've tantalisingly released 3 of the tracks (Coconut Crab, A Chase of Sorts and Sponkulous Nodge), whetting the appetites of the fans who've waited so long.
In its entirety, there isn't a single duff track on the album. After the first two tracks, the third, "Consoling Ghosts", kind of slows the pace down and feels slightly more pared back and this continues with the following number, "In Praise of Idleness". For some reason though, this reminds me of "+3 Awesomeness Repels Water" from the band's previous album - though I have no clue why (maybe because I'm weird?)
Other than the 3 outstanding teaser tracks the guys released - the song which grabs me most from the album is "Destroy the Tabernacle", it's just got an amazing, wide open sound to it and feels the most out and out dirty and scuzzy (not a bad thing).
If intricate, mathsy, tappy, floral, beautiful guitar sounds are your thing, this is your album. If you want powerful, clean, pure vocals, this album is your must buy. If you want a band with real intelligence, heart and soul - please buy this album. Just buy this album, OK?
It consistently amazes me why these guys are not as well known and well played in the UK as they are in the States. It needs to change.
On a personal note, I need to say that when I've been going through tough times and the world has seemed like a confusing and unfair place to be in, TTNG's albums have given me solace, sustenance and the strength to get up and face another day. There are lots of bands I love - but none more so than Henry, Tim and Chris. So thank you for keeping me going and thank you for such a wonderful new album. You guys are the best.
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