The Cartels
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About The Cartels
"Delia Smith, Alan Partridge and 'Sale of the Century'. A quick phone call to 'Dial-A-Cliché' will tell you that East Anglia is famous a few things but - The Darkness apart - a rock n' roll hotbed it is not. It's with this that Ipswich based quartet The Cartels arrive on the scene with their glorious eponymous debut EP; stamping their intent, and no doubt shattering a few regional preconceptions along the way.
The EP bursts from the traps with the urgent sprint of opening track 'Run': a machine gun flurry of drums and breathless stop-start guitar echoing frontman Jamie Spall's themes of escaping an insular hometown. Musically, 'Run' is reminiscent of NYC's noiseniks The Walkmen - an impatient and abrupt snarl, giving way to a spiralling melody so weightless it will have Bloc Party quaking in their plimsolls to hand over their dinner money.
The dynamic adventure of 'Pin Me' follows, bristling with a swagger and purpose similar to that of The Music yet somehow just failing to convince. The tom-tom hailstorm, pulsing bass and irresistible strafing guitar all show willing invention but the sum of the parts doesn't make for a cohesive whole.
Third track, 'Brakes' fairs much better, a gnarled rock n' roll boogie recalling the loose-limbed flick-knife menace of Primal Scream's 'Medication'. A threatening buzz-saw guitar smears itself all over the track, bullying and intimidating the listener with coiled feedback and juddering riffs like a jackbooted dandy.
'Mocking Bird' signals the last track on the EP and underlines that The Cartels are not afraid to challenge and better their influences. Spall..s tale of a crushed confidence beginning to flourish has all the deadpan archness of 'The Killing Moon'-era Ian McCulloch, enriched by a resonating melody that echoes The Stones' 'Gimme Shelter' and early U2. Yet rather than completely wallow in the Bunnymen's nocturnal puddle, The Cartels' long overcoat is shed to reveal a glistening chorus, emphasising further a subtle deftness in their songwriting.
A fearless assurance is shot through this debut EP and, with forthcoming tours and songwriting sessions to follow, this should allow the band to harness their potential and turn plenty of heads along the way. The Cartels are here to make you an offer you can't refuse."
The EP bursts from the traps with the urgent sprint of opening track 'Run': a machine gun flurry of drums and breathless stop-start guitar echoing frontman Jamie Spall's themes of escaping an insular hometown. Musically, 'Run' is reminiscent of NYC's noiseniks The Walkmen - an impatient and abrupt snarl, giving way to a spiralling melody so weightless it will have Bloc Party quaking in their plimsolls to hand over their dinner money.
The dynamic adventure of 'Pin Me' follows, bristling with a swagger and purpose similar to that of The Music yet somehow just failing to convince. The tom-tom hailstorm, pulsing bass and irresistible strafing guitar all show willing invention but the sum of the parts doesn't make for a cohesive whole.
Third track, 'Brakes' fairs much better, a gnarled rock n' roll boogie recalling the loose-limbed flick-knife menace of Primal Scream's 'Medication'. A threatening buzz-saw guitar smears itself all over the track, bullying and intimidating the listener with coiled feedback and juddering riffs like a jackbooted dandy.
'Mocking Bird' signals the last track on the EP and underlines that The Cartels are not afraid to challenge and better their influences. Spall..s tale of a crushed confidence beginning to flourish has all the deadpan archness of 'The Killing Moon'-era Ian McCulloch, enriched by a resonating melody that echoes The Stones' 'Gimme Shelter' and early U2. Yet rather than completely wallow in the Bunnymen's nocturnal puddle, The Cartels' long overcoat is shed to reveal a glistening chorus, emphasising further a subtle deftness in their songwriting.
A fearless assurance is shot through this debut EP and, with forthcoming tours and songwriting sessions to follow, this should allow the band to harness their potential and turn plenty of heads along the way. The Cartels are here to make you an offer you can't refuse."
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No upcoming shows
Send a request to The Cartels to play in your city
Request a Show
concerts and tour dates
About The Cartels
"Delia Smith, Alan Partridge and 'Sale of the Century'. A quick phone call to 'Dial-A-Cliché' will tell you that East Anglia is famous a few things but - The Darkness apart - a rock n' roll hotbed it is not. It's with this that Ipswich based quartet The Cartels arrive on the scene with their glorious eponymous debut EP; stamping their intent, and no doubt shattering a few regional preconceptions along the way.
The EP bursts from the traps with the urgent sprint of opening track 'Run': a machine gun flurry of drums and breathless stop-start guitar echoing frontman Jamie Spall's themes of escaping an insular hometown. Musically, 'Run' is reminiscent of NYC's noiseniks The Walkmen - an impatient and abrupt snarl, giving way to a spiralling melody so weightless it will have Bloc Party quaking in their plimsolls to hand over their dinner money.
The dynamic adventure of 'Pin Me' follows, bristling with a swagger and purpose similar to that of The Music yet somehow just failing to convince. The tom-tom hailstorm, pulsing bass and irresistible strafing guitar all show willing invention but the sum of the parts doesn't make for a cohesive whole.
Third track, 'Brakes' fairs much better, a gnarled rock n' roll boogie recalling the loose-limbed flick-knife menace of Primal Scream's 'Medication'. A threatening buzz-saw guitar smears itself all over the track, bullying and intimidating the listener with coiled feedback and juddering riffs like a jackbooted dandy.
'Mocking Bird' signals the last track on the EP and underlines that The Cartels are not afraid to challenge and better their influences. Spall..s tale of a crushed confidence beginning to flourish has all the deadpan archness of 'The Killing Moon'-era Ian McCulloch, enriched by a resonating melody that echoes The Stones' 'Gimme Shelter' and early U2. Yet rather than completely wallow in the Bunnymen's nocturnal puddle, The Cartels' long overcoat is shed to reveal a glistening chorus, emphasising further a subtle deftness in their songwriting.
A fearless assurance is shot through this debut EP and, with forthcoming tours and songwriting sessions to follow, this should allow the band to harness their potential and turn plenty of heads along the way. The Cartels are here to make you an offer you can't refuse."
The EP bursts from the traps with the urgent sprint of opening track 'Run': a machine gun flurry of drums and breathless stop-start guitar echoing frontman Jamie Spall's themes of escaping an insular hometown. Musically, 'Run' is reminiscent of NYC's noiseniks The Walkmen - an impatient and abrupt snarl, giving way to a spiralling melody so weightless it will have Bloc Party quaking in their plimsolls to hand over their dinner money.
The dynamic adventure of 'Pin Me' follows, bristling with a swagger and purpose similar to that of The Music yet somehow just failing to convince. The tom-tom hailstorm, pulsing bass and irresistible strafing guitar all show willing invention but the sum of the parts doesn't make for a cohesive whole.
Third track, 'Brakes' fairs much better, a gnarled rock n' roll boogie recalling the loose-limbed flick-knife menace of Primal Scream's 'Medication'. A threatening buzz-saw guitar smears itself all over the track, bullying and intimidating the listener with coiled feedback and juddering riffs like a jackbooted dandy.
'Mocking Bird' signals the last track on the EP and underlines that The Cartels are not afraid to challenge and better their influences. Spall..s tale of a crushed confidence beginning to flourish has all the deadpan archness of 'The Killing Moon'-era Ian McCulloch, enriched by a resonating melody that echoes The Stones' 'Gimme Shelter' and early U2. Yet rather than completely wallow in the Bunnymen's nocturnal puddle, The Cartels' long overcoat is shed to reveal a glistening chorus, emphasising further a subtle deftness in their songwriting.
A fearless assurance is shot through this debut EP and, with forthcoming tours and songwriting sessions to follow, this should allow the band to harness their potential and turn plenty of heads along the way. The Cartels are here to make you an offer you can't refuse."
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