Graham Reid | | 1 min read
Linger On
What's in a name?
Whatever “the Mons Whaler” is, it sounds like a big and possibly menacing leviathan.
And an album title like that?
Clearly this four-piece from Taranaki are serious, and sure enough this album sometimes rides on the back of heavyweight blues and alt.rock.
But there is much more than that going on in these 10 refined and discrete songs which range from the soulful sound of singer Hemi Coates on Linger On to the impressive lead guitar and keyboards of Courtnay Low which are often understated but makes its points.
Coates brings an authentic emotional ache to songs like the slo-mo swamp-funk of Won't Let You Go, blues passion on the raw but sultry title track (with a wiry guitar part from Low), and soul-pop on the radio-friendly Online.
Online
Low also taps the spirits of Hendrix and Rory Gallagher at their most refined (Old Cassette) and can slip into dirty, stripped-back Fat Possum blues (It Ain't On Me).
There are fist-tight songs here (the spiraling energy of Long Gone) and band members in lock-step with each other on hard-hitting but diverse originals.
So the resonances of the band name and album title are a bit misleading.
This is tough when required, but also thoughtful (Blood) and the opener Paper Heart stalks with a compelling beat and riff that is impossible to shake off.
Quite something and an album that just gets better on repeat plays.
.
You can hear and buy this album at Apple iTunes. It is also on Spotify here
post a comment