Label: Parlophone
Released: 2nd April 2021
You would have a hard time if you were to try and categorise the work of Glasgow-based four-piece, The Snuts. Their debut album, ‘W.L’ sees the band incorporating pop ballads, punk energy, and alt-rock staples to build a series of heartfelt stories about growing up in Scotland. Merging a healthy dose of slowed-down jams and raucous tracks, The Snuts are taking huge steps with their first album release.
The bold honesty of singer-songwriter Jack Cochrane’s vocals elevates ‘W.L’ with a welcome sincerity. Whether he’s softly serenading us or screaming with passion, it’s always clear that these words come with deeply personal significance. ‘Top Deck’ opens the album with acoustic intimacy, as Cochrane ushers us close to share private laments for the impact of drugs on his childhood friends. There’s a closeness in these toned down tunes that clear any hints of superficiality in The Snuts. We know they feel every word they sing.
It’s almost hard to believe that the album’s pacier songs come from the same band. ‘All Your Friends’ and ‘Coffee & Cigarettes’ have an adolescent charm reminiscent of early Arctic Monkeys or The Libertines, filled with gnarly guitar riffs and kicked up percussion. It’s an energy that’s dying to be played live. ‘Don’t Forget It (Punk)’ stands in a league of its own as a ceaseless hurricane of thrash-punk mayhem that flies in the face of the chart ready indie-rock that populates the rest of the album. It’s in these bold tracks that the band sets themselves aside, proving they can offer something you won’t find in most alt-pop outfits – the bravery to branch out.
With an arsenal of emotions, The Snuts manage to invoke a lifetime of feeling in just thirteen bangers that are bursting with adrenaline and melancholy alike. ‘W.L’ is a masterclass in ballads and risk-taking that proves music works best when it comes from the heart.
