The Fratellis

Bringing it back to their roots with producer of their first album Tony Hoffer, The Fratellis are releasing their new album ‘Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied’ on August 21st. Frontman Jon Fratelli said “we tried to do it in January of last year, on our own, kind of right in the middle of touring, but it didn’t quite work out then” but even now I’m not sure if the album is their best work.

The album is thought to be more free and confident as the boys have less pressure and have told the press they are “playing for the fun of it”. It starts off with this sense of freedom with opening track ‘Me and The Devil’. With a catchy chorus and a fun, energetic and playful style, I was hooked. Although a lot more commercial than their previous songs, the song is an easy listen and has recognisable quality of the recording location of LA.

The following song ‘Imposter (Little By Little)' is truly raw and has a slight country feel. It made me eager to hear what could come next, not expecting something like ‘Baby Don’t Lie To Me’. The Fratellis’ sound is back! The song is brilliant and stands out among the other vaguely average tunes.

The next few songs, including the likes of ‘Dogtown’, ‘Thief’ and ‘Too Much Wine’ have lost the zest the band possessed in the past. With repetitive verses, riffs and voice makes the whole album awkward to listen to.

The end song ‘Moonshine’ adds contrast with an elegant landing to the album. The delicate foot tapping tune is one of my favourites but I was still left thinking where have the Scottish accents gone?

The album is nowhere near the masterpiece of 2006 ‘Costello Music’ but there is a few hidden gems within the album that are a pleasure to listen to.