Tribes – We Were Children EP (Universal-Island)
4/5
By: Chris Jones
Camden’s own Tribes’ debut EP We Were Children is, for my money, this month’s one to listen out for. This hardworking four-piece have grafted big time - playing gigs all over the UK, from small venues to dream shows like supporting their idols the Pixies, and indeed the single actually starts with a riff that evokes memories of Pixies’ classic ‘Where Is My Mind?’.
Yet as the song goes on it becomes apparent that ‘We Were Children’ is an emotional number about the past and regret sang wistfully in hindsight. It crashes in with anthemic force; powering drums and feedback from the amps all harking back to when rock was full of unabashed Herculean epics, in the days when it didn’t ‘need saving’.
But it’s not all guitars and grandeur. For me, it’s the lyrics that are real the strength of it - singer Johnny Lloyd apologises through proclamation ‘I solemnly swear, it’s the thing in life I regret the most, leaving you standing there.’ He admits, ‘If you forgave me I would sleep at night, knowing I’d led a good life.’
Amongst the achingly sincere lyrics the song powers on, finding it’s way to a chorus of ‘Oh no stranger you’re just like me, these things happen - we were children in the mid 90s’. The central lyric of the song gives a sense of the finality of actions past.
Elsewhere, the other tracks are a pretty good listen too; ‘Girlfriend’ is the catchiest of the bunch, whilst the almost equally infectious ‘Coming Of Age’ is a more considered and gentle yet no less gripping offering. There’s an acoustic version of ‘We Were Children’ to finish, and its grainy quality gives it something different, helping it contend with the original for your affections.
We Were Children (EP) by TRIBES
See below for Tribes performing their first ever acoustic show for Bands In Transit @ The Great Escape - as shot by Rockfeedback.
Artists in this article: Tribes
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