FloodHounds: Near-Life Experience
Self-Released
Out Now
FloodHounds are a relatively new young Rock band, straight out of Yorkshire and ready to blow the cobwebs from whatever stage is willing to have them, sharing their most recent song/single Near-Life Experience. Can they hold the weight of Rock History on their skinny shoulders? MK Bennett has a listen.
A powerhouse rock trio from Sheffield, Floodhounds mix various spells of the familiar to brew their own culture and serious pun-based riff-heavy Yorkshire straight-talking blues, a version of Rock and Roll both recognizable and slightly askew from the standard.
Jack, Lauren and Anna make a beautiful noise for three people, though they are in rarefied company in terms of guitar-based trinities, some sort of musical magic that strikes lightning on occasion and is striking here too.
Their sound is an Anglicized form of that particular American swing that is so well made by Queens Of The Stone Age and the Foo Fighters, with hook-laden vocal melodies and the half production-driven, half rhythm-driven sound of recent AC/DC, with a hint of Royal Blood. Lauren and Anna are a superb, instinctive backbone to Jack’s infinite cool, straying from the One but always returning for the next verse or chorus.
Recorded at Magic Garden Studios, the same team behind Kid Kapichi and other up-and-coming young bands, the sound is imaginatively murky and simultaneously crystal clear. Lyrically, it is the eternal Generation Z struggle between apathy and seeking joy, working shit-waged dead-end jobs to pay for something that used to cost a lot less. The Zeitgeist is now the permanent rictus grin of a government-sponsored corpse, so enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think.
There is a mass of competition out there for bands of any stripe, and the number of things they have been chosen for ( BBC Introducing at Tramlines, handpicked for The Cavern Club, Lakefest etc.) is impressive in itself, workload plus inspiration plus good luck should see them soar beyond their current trajectory.
And the song itself? Curiously reminded of assorted 90’s hit makers with more bottom end, whether it’s Indie rock or alt-rock or just rock for the ages, it is propulsive, it fair glides through its three minutes of powered chords like a hot knife through butter, and that middle eight is a killer. They seem to soak up more than the average inspiration, which will likely bear fruit in the future, and they do it with a knowing smile, itching to prove themselves among the best, an unknown contender keeping their heads low, waiting to fight in the Heavyweight class.
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All words by MK Bennett, you can find his author’s archive here plus his Twitter and Instagram
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