The Silver Lines: …And The Lord Don’t Think I Can Handle It
DL
Birmingham quartet The Silver Lines share the urgent, visceral and explosive new EP …And The Lord Don’t Think I Can Handle It. Highlighting the high-octane sound which has seen the band build a reputation as a live band, the 5 track release captures the band at their purest, bringing an essence of punk to their alt-rock tendencies. The EP’s release coincides with the band’s current UK and European tour.
Opening with the punching snare roll and swaggering “Hello, Hello, Hello” of Roaches, The Silver Lines waste no time getting straight into the thick of their sound as a wall of fuzzy, distorted guitar and driving bass enters under the urgent spoken lead vocals. Simplistic, fun and expressive, the track instantly captures what makes the band so special, highlighting their ability to take simple chord structures and ideas and evaluate them beyond their parts.
A key example of this approach to writing and the EP’s standout Cocaine is almost built completely around one chord, yet is captivating, exhilarating and oddly catchy with its almost shouted repeated vocal structure. Holding a ‘shock’ factor with its free and easy exploration of high-paced life at the limits as the word “cocaine” is barked throughout, the track ends with a fittingly intense and charging guitar solo.
Elsewhere on the EP Watch Yourself Boy continues the trend of explosive distorted guitars and urgent, expressive spoken vocals whilst Bound showcases a more indie-influenced approach to the band’s sound, and showcases a lighter more emotive songwriting approach when compared to the raw energy of the EPs other tracks.
Ending on a high with the long guitar solo at the end of Tame, the EPs close feels like the end of a gig as howls of feedback engulf …And The Lord Don’t Think I Can Handle It’s last moments.
Talking about the EP, the band explain: “The Silver Lines second EP titled: ‘…And The Lord Don’t Think I Can Handle It’, is the perfect representation of TSL as a live band, it’s just as angsty and provocative as their previous records but this time more thought-provoking. The lyrics still have the characteristic TSL venom only this time addressing the ‘rock star lifestyle’ but are they promoting it or offering a warning?
The EP as a whole follow a clearer narrative of the endless cycle everyone seems to go through from strange times to reminiscing of those sweeter softer places. The polarising cover is a deliberate shun of today’s music climate, with thousands of songs being released each day, every artist begging people to listen, and sneaky methods employed to try and chart an album through the use of multiple formats of release, deluxe editions and even different vinyl colours.
The Silver Lines felt there was a level of shamelessness and exploitation in the current landscape. If people want to listen they will but if they don’t – it’s their choice. Either way, The Silver Lines won’t stop releasing music that is honest and personal to themselves. Oh, and there won’t be 17 editions of each release the public must buy, well anyway not just yet…”
An exciting band who surely have a lot more to offer, the new 5 track EP captures an exciting blend of indie, rock and punk that is hard to ignore.
Follow The Silver Lines
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All words by Simon Lucas-Hughes. More writing by Simon Lucas-Hughes can be found at his author’s archive.
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