The Brighton, UK-based quartet The Fireworks specializes in unaffected heavy melodicism halfway betwixt indie pop and shoegaze with just the right amount of punkish seasoning thrown in. Releasing an unusually assured full-length debut last year with Switch Me On, they’ve wasted no time in returning to the retail scene with the “Black and Blue” EP; getting louder and more driving while keeping tabs on catchiness, the four songs retain the high quality of its predecessor while keeping matters fresh. It’s available now digitally and on a limited blue vinyl 10-inch through Shelflife Records.
Although they have occasionally diverted into reflective strum territory, The Fireworks are inaptly described as a quiet band. Indeed, raucousness and volume was brought right from the outset, specifically a self-titled four song 7-inch in 2013. It was a solid showing from a group with noted prior experience in their ranks; vocalist and tambourine rattler Emma Hall was/ is part of London’s Pocketbooks and Stuart Charman spent time beating the skins in The Popguns and The Wedding Present.
Their bandmates weren’t exactly sitting on the sidelines; vocalist-guitarist Matthew Rimell had previously booked shows and ran a label while bassist Isabel Albiol wielded an extensive art background. Through the diversity of activity, The Fireworks achieved creative equality that turned the title-track to their follow-up three song 7-inch (also from 2013) into a total gem of distorted velocity.
“Runaround” sorta connects like a highly caffeinated Primitives in pop-pogo mode, and alongside “With My Heart” it established Hall as a terrific vocalist. So the inclusion of both on Switch Me On made total sense, but let’s not neglect 2014 please; the year saw the release of a nifty one-sided postcard flexi adorned with attractive artwork by Ceal Warnants and holding in its grooves The Fireworks’ very strong cover of “Going Nowhere Fast” by Girls at Our Best!
Those fretting over having missed out shouldn’t, for 13 copies remain on sale through the outfit’s Bandcamp page, with red and while splatter copies of Switch Me On also still available; wax of the “Runaround” EP has been sold out for a while, so grabbing the LP is a very smart maneuver, primarily due to the aggressively contempo handling of well-established influences that’s on display across both sides.
In a world full of standard copycats, Switch Me On stands as a refreshing listen, and in a sweet turn of events its qualities have been deftly honed throughout “Black and Blue.” They kick off the set with another sturdy Hall-fronted rocker in “All the Time”; as it rolls the waves of guitar exude just a touch more distortion, and with the exception of Rimell’s backing harmonies, everything seems a smidge louder.
All this gets combined with a tangible increase in rhythmic power, though as on their prior work the execution nimbly avoids steamrolling the melody. “The Ghost of You” scales things back a bit but doesn’t stall the momentum, featuring C86-styled jangling and a Rimell vocal that cultivates an atmosphere of remembrance without getting soppy with memory-induced melancholy residue.
“The Ghost of You” proves an effective shifting of gears, with Hall’s brief interjection late in the cut a particular treat; amid gnarled waves distortion she steps back out front for the up-tempo “Bury Me.” If there is a potential danger on The Fireworks’ horizon, it’s that they do the rough edged catchy thing so well they could easily slip into autopilot, but it hasn’t happened yet, partially due to the layering of three guitars (Hall and Charman are credited with extra strings).
The final track here delineates considerable progress and bodes well for future material. Up to now they’ve delivered more introspective, less electrified culminating tracks to all their releases, a maneuver at its best on Switch Me On’s slightly Galaxie 500-like “In the Morning” but less impressive when serving as the finale to the pair of EPs.
That’s not a problem on “Black and Blue”; instead, “Go So Slow” edges the feedback into shoegaze levels while the tandem vocals engage in an intertwining and quite appealing singsong motif. All this before they rip it into overdrive, integrating even more distortion and adding some choice sawing strings courtesy of Rimell on electric violin.
“Roundabout” still stands as The Fireworks’ finest moment, but the “Black and Blue” EP suggests they could eventually top it, primarily because they seem unconcerned with doing so.
GRADED ON A CURVE:
A-
