We can’t think of a more refreshing way to start the new year than with the upcoming sophomore slab of sonic sustenance rom Dublin’s Silverbacks. On Archive Material, fans get a veritable aural potpourri of genres this time out from Silverbacks who, despite the varied range, succeed by fusing it all together into one outstanding and cohesive opus.
Withe a kind of profound originality to it, Archive Material is a solid fusion of Pop, modern Brit-Rawk (circa the mid-aught’s), Psychedelia, Folk, and Alternative that’s the most clever clusterfuck of sounds but works oh so elegantly when put to tape. The title track and “A Job For Something” kick off the journey with a Pavement (Or early Stephen Malkmus solo outings) meets The Velvet Underground flair with the latter especially ringing true when you hear those vocal harmonies from Emma Hanlon and Daniel O’Kelly.
“Wear My Medals” comes out of the gate like an alarm going off with the full weight of the Silverbacks sound on full display and sees Hanlon take over mic duties for a track that’s a delightful ditty epitomizing modern Indie Rawk. “They Were Never Our People” is a meandering mire of sounds with Kilian O’Kelly and Peadar Kearney’s guitars seemingly on a different trajectory from Hanlon and Gary Wickham’s respective bass and drum rhythm section but the result is akin to aural comfort food.
“Rolodex City” is quirky yet concise adding Post-Punk into the plethora of musical genres that Silverbacks has mastered while “Carshade” goes to a special space as this instrumental interlude relishes in the eccentricities that make Archive Material work so well. “Central Tones” is a movin’ and groovin’ rawker built from Hanlon and Wickham’s rhythmic vibe as some decidedly razor sharp riffage from O’Kelly and Kearney cuts through the jams to keep listeners on their toes with “Recycle Culture” feeding off that feeling but strays with a biting vocal delivery from Daniel O’Kelly at its’ conclusion.
“Econymo” is a little reminiscent of The Fades mixed with Razorlight easing into a laid back haze as “Nothing To Write Home About” acts as a contrast, shining with a lively bubbly bounce and paving the way for a fitting coda in “I’m Wild” led by Hanlon on vocals and filled with soulful serenity and an abundance of Indie rawk intricacies that have made this and the tracks that have preceded it so compelling.
Archive Material arrives through Full Time Hobby on January 21st. Physical pre-orders can be found here with pre-save options available here. For the latest on Silverbacks, follow them across the information superhighway when you click here, here, or here.