By Monk
As regular ÜR readers will know, we first crossed paths with the artist known as Vaughanstrosity when he closed the revolving door of bass players who had made their various entrances and exits with Belfast shock punks So Long Until The Séance. What we didn’t know at the time was that Ruaidhri was also an extremely talented solo artist in his own right – something about which we were made to sit up and take notice about at the beginning of November when he absolutely nicked our precious #VideoOfTheWeek title right from under our very noses. Now, he has followed up with this absolutely show-stealing debut four-track EP, which has been on almost constant repeat since it first landed on our death decks \m/
Houston brands his style of music as “party metal”, which to me conjures up images of the likes of Andrew WK and Kid Rock, but what he produces could not be further removed from these comparisons than fellow countrymen Snore Patrol being described as an exciting rock band. Yes, it’s an aural party, and one helluva one: one which demands a massive carry out and a warning to the neighbours that their walls are gonna shake not only until the wee small hours of the next morning but well into the middle of the next week…
‘Memes And Dreams’ sees Houston exploring his diverse influences to full effect. Take opener ‘fl0w’ as a prime example: a twisted electro lulls you into a brief sense of insecurity before it is interrupted with an acidic riffs which evolves into the song’s main metalcore mien. A female voice over tells us to “fuck off”: sorry bitch, but that’s a “fuck off” to you, as we’re here for the party and we’re staying to the end…
And I’m glad we took that stance, as ‘Memes And Dreams’ is a powerful release, crammed with myriad influences, from industrial to metalcore, gothic punk to Americana, nu-metal to pure unadulterated garage rock, all mixed together with the aplomb of a Michelin trained musical chef. There is not a weak moment on this highly impressive and brilliantly crafted mini-album. I definitely look forward to hearing more. In the meantime, I’m cracking open another can and putting this on repeat again…
- ‘Memes And Dreams’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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