I don’t think I’ve been this impressed by a debut album since The Darkness ‘Permission To Land’, The Struts ‘Everybody Wants’ or even The Strokes ‘Is This It’. Three very different albums of course, and this is different again but should be destined to be just as big.
This Birmingham trio have a sound much fuller than you’d think possible, there’s a sure-footedness and a confidence here that almost transcends cool,and an attitude that allows them to spell their name in capitals and manage to be ironic and deadly serious simultaneously.
In 2018 TREMENDOUS released their first single ‘Like Dreamers Do’, and followed it up with ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Satellite’, ‘Don’t Leave Our Love (Open For Closing)’ and ‘Copycat Killer’ all of which are gathered here. A self-confessed Glam Rock band they are very much first wave British Glam rather than what came after.
Opening with three of those singles you’ll be taken aback at how good this debut is. ‘Don’t Leave Our Love (Open For Closing) which opens is an instant classic managing to balance The Darkness and Cockney Rebel with the silky backing vocals of softer 70’s Glam and the grit of The Strokes debut, and for me it’s the more contemporary guitar sound that keeps everything in check wonderfully well. Every part of this song is beautifully crafted from the verses to the bridge, the solo and the wonderfully preened chorus, and coming in at under three minutes you realise how succinct these guys can be.
‘Like Dreamers Do’ starts off reminding me of Ian Hunter and Mott The Hoople before the guitar cuts in and you get a burst of Queen, it’s a short song without an ounce of fat and one which makes this debut more than just a great new album but something rater more special.
‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Satellite’ of course has all the right words in the title even before you hear it to remind you of everyone from Bowie and T-Rex to Reed (it also name-checks the Spiders of Mars for good measure). It’s a song that has the balls to open with a wail rather than words and has a kind of ‘New York’ attitude that is a little more contemporary bed-fellows of say The Killers,it’s longer too at three and a half minutes.
‘Bag of Nails’ is more timeless, more Bowie, maybe even to the extent that Oasis radiated The Beatles, its rockier, darker and colder; ‘Daniela’ too is similar in vintage coming across as more of a melting pot than the singles, but both are still great Rock and Roll even if they owe more to The Killers, The Strokes and Kings of Leon than to 70’s Glam, but coincidentally all are bands that owe a debt to Lou Reed.
‘Take a Good Look at My Good’ keeps the vibe going, but slows down the pace. It’s a great ballad that anchors the second half of the album, which is altogether meatier than the opening slew of radiant singles, and for me this is the part of the record I’d really love to hear live and raw.
The Rock and Roll ride continues with two huge cuts – the frenetic and uber-catchy ‘Heart Sinker’ and the garagey wall of sound ‘Fightin’ To Lose’ before the wonderful(almost said tremendous there…) ‘Hell is Only a Blessing Away’ adds another punky twist to the mix.
We close with the final single ‘Copycat Killer’ a glorious mess of nu-Glam that draws from all generations and takes on the genre, it’s impossible not to move to this one and it signals a great way to close a great album.
Thankfully there’s no need to rate this one as the band already has – tremendous…
OK go on then…
9/10
TRACKLIST
Don’t Leave Our Love (Open For Closing)
Lik4 Dreamers Do
Rock ‘n’ Roll Satellite
Bag of Nails
Daniela
Take A Good Look At My Good
Heart Sinker
Fightin’ To Lose
Hell Is Only A Blessing Away
Copycat Killer
