Review by Paul Monkhouse for MPM
Already causing huge ripples on the Prog Rock scene, Manchester quartet Square Wild bring an insanely twisted and fresh take on the genre, their vibrant rhythms injecting tricky time and mood changes with verve. With their full length debut in the works, these two new singles provide a mouthwatering taster for the riches to come, each a kaleidoscopic delve into a world full of sights and sounds that would make even Lewis Carroll’s head spin.
With its bubbling rush, ‘Pins and Mould’ sounds like a Northern feral PJ Harvey fronting the Chilli Peppers, Lucy Shevchuk’s vocals dripping with ravaged soul, her guitar spiky, as the rest of the band dig into the grinding groove behind her. The flip halfway through to a more chilled, psychedelic section is a neatly disconcerting move before the outfit let loose, rocking out as they race to the finish. Newest single ‘Sloth’ takes a similar route but adds its own bells and whistles, adding a jauntiness of folk that swings, it’s a delightfully quirky slab of very English pastoral funk that kicks like a mule after they build up a bracing head of steam.
Intelligently crafted and with a pleasing avoidance of any pigeonholes, the multi-faceted four piece have a tight but loose grasp on their playing, the material being given the chance to breathe and this is their crowning glory, their youthful ardour to create something different rewarding both band and listener. With an acclaimed past already, the road in front of them unfurls as a promised land, full of new adventures and mountains to scale and conquer. Drawing plaudits as one of the best live acts out there, these young warriors are set to dazzle long into the future and they look able to effortlessly touch the stars. Square Wild are making the world a better place, one note at a time. This is their time and few shine as brightly.
Band Website: https://www.squarewildband.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/6r1qVJ…
Bandcamp: https://squarewild.bandcamp.com/releases
Instagram: / squarewild_band
Facebook: / squarewild
