The Thousands

Describing music is, almost inevitably, a frustrating series of inadequate analogies. In the case of SONGS, my grey matter latched onto the following: Punk lilt and guitar-driven melodies that recall IS THIS IT-era Strokes. Vocals that channel a stripped-back Velvet Underground; driving rhythms that might have been picked up off the floor after The Wrens finished THE MEADOWLANDS; Constrained, Stooges-like brevity in a four-track EP.

**None of these comparisons capture the evocative whole sound of the SONGS EP, and all of them cast the band as derivative – which they’re not. Songs are, however, informed and deliberate, which is different. This is a band whose appeal lies not in technical proficiency, but in their ability to craft a mood. And what an interesting, wistful mood it is.