By DJ Monk
Dark Stares inhabit a territory that lies somewhere between the desert/stoner groove of Kyuss and QOTSA, the alt-rock anthemics of Muse and 30STM and the irritating indie pop shenanigans of the likes of Arctic Monkeys. I first came across the St Albans quartet last Spring, when I reviewed their debut full-lengther, ‘Darker Days Are Here To Stay’: I recall being rather impressed by what I heard, hailing it as one of the strongest and most consistent debuts of the year. Now, that album had taken them four years to bring together… but, here we are, little more than a year later, and its follow-up has landed on doormat at ÜRHQ.
Like their debut, ‘The Lightning Echo’ is a completely DIY effort, self-recorded, self-produced and almost completely mixed by the band themselves (with some assistance from their long-term collaborator John Mitchell, with whom they have worked on all of their releases to date). Such an approach, of course, allows the band to retain control of their destiny and direction and travel, and this is very much evident on ‘TLE’, which picks up where ‘Darker Days…’ left off and marks the next stage in the quartet’s evolution.
Like its predecessor, ‘TLE’ is a very dense album, driven by the thick, chunky bass riffs of Brett Harland Howell. Where it differs, however, is that it largely forsakes the stoner vibe that permeated most of ‘Darker Days…’: yes, the arid, desert feel is still there, especially on the likes of the breathless ‘The Shadows’ and closer ‘Rebel Angel’, but there is much more of a progressive alt-rock feel to ‘The Lightning Echo’, especially in the winding guitar miens and the vocals of Miles Kristian Howell, which come across as a weird but highly effective hybrid of Matt Bellamy and Marc Bolan, the latter more obvious when he moves to the higher end of his register on the likes of lead single ‘You Know Me’, the thumping ‘Spell You’ve Cast’ or ‘Today’.
‘The Lightning Echo’ very much consolidates the solid groundwork laid down by the first album. Just as importantly, however, it is just as thoughtfully crafted as that debut, and at no time falls into the trap that many bands trigger with their second albums, by sounding rushed and hastily put together to capitalize on their initial success. Rather, ‘TLE’ sounds considered and reasoned: yes, overall, the songs are shorter and there is a sense of energy and urgency within its grooves, but these factors add to the overall impact and should help their creators move onto the next stage of their career development with confidence and defined intent.
‘The Lightning Echo’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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