At first glance New Zealand doesn’t exactly appear to be a thriving hotbed of punk rock talent – but delve a little deeper and I think you might be surprised. To be honest it wasn’t until Deck Cheese signed them that I came across Sommerset, but I’m now glad that I did. With harsh vocals coating a sun-drenched guitar line, the NZ boys come across in the same melodic hardcore vein that the likes of Hot water Music do. And while ‘Fast Cars, Slow Guitars’ isn’t quite up there with HWM, it’s still worthy of a listen.
The tone for the record is set on ‘Coming Home’ with the gruff-vocals of Ryan Thomas combined with a driving guitar line that kicks and punches its way through, along with crashing drums and a hard-hitting bassline. Of course there’s more than a dash of melody too, with the likes of ‘Clutter’ standing out as tracks that really ought to demand your attention. With guitars that thud and squeal in equal measure, the vocals don’t lose any of their hardcore edge at all. ‘Cornered’ is a personal fave, not least because it’s very open lyrically, highlighting the personal insecurities that people can have. The guitars seem to fit very well around the singer’s honesty and Ryan’s vocal talents lend themselves ably.
‘The Gossip Machine’ kicks like a mule for sub 30 seconds of pure punk rock, while ‘Streets Don’t Close’ is far more toned down and melodic, replacing the vitriol and spite for something a lot more considered. Easily a single in the making. On the other hand the driving guitars in ‘Same Mistakes’ come over like Pennywise, with the vocals seemingly the most melodic on the whole record. The guitars are a real standout for me though, alongside Jay Dougrey’s drumming. ‘Not Enough’ has gang style vocals that I’m not keen on and to me is one of the weaker tracks, but ‘Redemption’ is a vast improvement with a hefty riff opening things up. Sommerset are also a band with something to say, and it is quite refreshing to hear a band use their position to push home their concerns and beliefs. With a guest vocalist, ‘Covers’ sounds great too, although I’m not too keen on the ‘pull these covers over my head’ analogy that the band use to emphasis the burying of our heads scenario – to me it’s just a little too trite. But again things are evened up with the awesome ‘Some Days’ and ‘Untraceable’. Album closer, the record’s title track, almost saves the best for last. Drums thud and crack and guitars power their way through, it’s fantastic stuff. Ryan’s vocals are at their best and the drumming really is a cut above.
Sommerset are over here in April and for anyone who wants a Hot Water Music warm-up this is exactly the place to be. On the other hand, if you just like good olf-fashioned no frills punk rock, you could also do a lot worse. Thankfully ‘Fast Cars, Slow Guitars’ doesn’t live up to its album title and Sommerset are a good solid band. Ones to check out for sure.
Paul