Zombies!!!
Glory Glory Man United
Out of Sound Records.
SCQ Rating: 80%
As far as a leadoff track and single from their full-length debut is concerned, ‘Pop Song Automaton’ seems perfectly titled, chugging to life with bar-room bluster and multi-tracked calls from vocalist Adam Warren. So fluent and uncompromising, the hooks seem capable of writing themselves until the trio bends the song’s urgency around pristine guitar chasms and, suddenly, the automaton switch has turned off. Halifax-based Glory Glory Man United prove talented at this, laying familiar indie-rock dishes throughout Zombies!!! before pulling the tablecloth and sending listeners teetering into richly integrated guitar tones.
Rounded out by Gavin Maclean (bass/vocals) and Ryan Brown (drums/vocals), Glory Glory Man United blend tongue-in-cheek sentiments with a layered guitar-rock approach that gives Zombies!!! a vaguely cosmic veneer. ‘Sun Don’t Come Out’ spends its first half evoking Hail To the Thief’s foreboding before stomping in puddles of guitar, which like ‘First Monkey Shot Into Space’, dabbles in purposeful atmospherics without impeding the track’s drive. That sense of momentum not only holds throughout this debut LP’s ten cuts, it gets increasingly heartfelt as Glory Glory Man United save their most devastating moments for the back-half. Building off a finger-picked electric, ‘Mountain Town’ manages subtle ascensions before locking into a percussively tight chorus. Elsewhere, ‘Congratulations On your Latest Engagement’ finds a melodic equilibrium that allows slight detours from its relentless tempo without forcing Warren to mince words. Closing track ‘Fish In the Water’ collects the album’s best traits, offering pulsating yet contemplative choruses with an instrumental underbelly just waiting to combust. Hardly automated, Zombies!!! is far more earnest and intelligent than its title assumes, and a meticulous example of how well indie-rock can resonate when done right.
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