Spectres
AM-DRAM
Howling Owl
Nov 12, 2024 Web Exclusive
I’ve never written an obituary before, and in truth, that is what this review has turned into. Spectres’ fourth album, AM-DRAM, is meant to be their last. There will be no more gut-wrenching shows. No more albums in packaging that needs a hammer to break it free. No more macabre, and hilarious, zines published when their whim takes them. And no more exquisite albums that terrify and excite in equal measure.
Exploding from Bristol’s DIY/experimental scene in the early 2010s, they felt like a breath of fresh air, mixing shoegazing sensibilities with noise rock to create something frantic yet catchy. Their 2015 debut album, Dying, was just this. 2017’s Condition was more of the same but there felt like a greater emphasis on songs, than mood. The live shows at this point were second to none. At one particular gig in Brighton they left two amps smoldering at the side of the stage as they left.
In 2019 they released their most experimental release to date, Death Kettled. This release consisted of only two songs. Each one was 20 minutes and filled one side of a record. The following year they returned with their third album proper, the wonderfully titled It’s Never Going to Happen and This is Why. To this point in their career this was their grandest album yet. Filled with painful observations about nepotism, Brexit, the rise of the social media ego, and, well, boats. To really hammer home that they thought we were all doomed, certain editions of the album were encased in wooden boxes, coffins if you will.
But now they’re returned with their most shocking album to date. “Oh, what makes this one more shocking than having to use a hammer to prise it open to hear it?” I can hear you all ask. The answer is simple. They removed the audio detritus, well some of it, and presented us with their cleanest, most tuneful, and captivating album to date.
AM-DRAM opens with “The Mandela Effect.” Massive droning guitars welcome us. Then Joe Hatt’s monotone vocals enter the mix before squealing feedback, propulsive drumming, and filthy bass come together to create the Spectres sound for the first time. “Rubbernecking” is up next. Here it sounds like the band are channelling early 2000s art rockers Ikara Colt. It’s also the first time we can hear how catchy the band can be. When they strip everything, well almost, everything away. “Tear it down / Tear it down to the ground.” This is exactly what they’ve done here. By tearing down all the effects and noise they are left with just the song. Driving melodies and killer drumming. This approach works incredibly well, and gets the listener wondering what their previous songs would sound like if they applied this approach to them? Don’t fret, there is still plenty of noise and confusion.
“An Eye and a Tooth” and “Wishing Well / Horror Box” could easily fit into any of their previous albums, or blistering live sets. The standout track on the album is “Nice Knowing You.” This is the poppiest thing the band have ever released. It also contains one of their best lyrics. “If it looks like it / and it feels like it / then it’s probably not it.” The pace is fast, and the melodies are even faster. This is what I hoped pop music might sound like when I was a kid. Hatt’s voice sounds different here, but maybe this might be the first time we’ve heard it properly before? The rest of the album feels like a demented mantra about the pros of not being a dick. The music is ragged, unkempt but not too distorted. It shows us that after almost 14 years they can still surprise not only us, but themselves.
If the rumors are true and this is the last Spectres album, then they’ve delivered a blinder. AM-DRAM is their most cohesive, and immediate, album to date. There is no filler. Every song it lithe and you can see the muscles rippling as it propels itself along at breakneck speed. I hope that the rumors aren’t true, as they’ve really hit something here and he deserves another album for them to expand the sounds. If this is true, however, then they can walk into the sunset with their heads held high leaving behind countless amps smoking on the side of countless stages with one of the strongest, and uncompromising, back catalogues this century. There is hope that they’ll return for a fifth album in a few year’s time. As they say: “If it looks like it / and it feels like it / then it’s probably not it.” Spectres, it’s been nice knowing you. (www.wearespectres.bandcamp.com/album/am-dram)
Author rating: 8/10
Average reader rating: 8/10
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