Is is possible for something to be both frantic and chugging? Something about the Love Triangle‘s music makes me think of a biker movie — everything synced to the sound of wheels on blacktop. Clever Clever, out now on Sorry State is like that sound, only jacked to the gills on mini thins and truck stop coffee.
Which isn’t to say that this is surf rock or country trucker music — no, no. The Love Triangle fall somewhere in the meeting ground of early British punk like the Damned, Buzzcocks, and the Adverts and any act to have splintered off from the Marked Men (Mind Spiders, Potential Johns, et al).
The Love Triangle knows how to balance everything, though, which is why I compare it to those biker movie soundtracks — despite operating in the upper registers a la the Adverts and so on, the bass rumbles like a hot rod engine. The intro to “I’m Still Waiting For A Buzz” fairly vibrated the office down here.
Discovering that this is also ex-Shitty Limits brings a lot of things into focus. I knew those vocals were familiar for a reason. Still, this is the melodic take on that early punk sound, rather than everything being snotty anarchy. “Touching God” manages to almost be sweet, even though I’m pretty sure it’s about being fucked up.
Great artwork on the jacket, too — I love the whole paisley design and the cut-and–paste aesthetic. The vinyl’s super-solid, as well. Heavy-duty black that brings a real dynamic range to what what could’ve been a mess of bass and high-end, but everything’s well-balanced.
You can get the Love Triangle’s Clever Clever from the Sorry State store and find more information about the band at the Love Triangle’s website.