The Tommies - The Face Of It Album Review

The Tommies
"The Face Of It"
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Nottingham-based band The Tommies comprise of brothers Leon and Joel Tomasevic, and their childhood friend Tom Young. Years of gigging in their hometown area have earned them a reputation as an impressive live act, with a sound influenced by the pinnacle of British music talent, such as The Kinks, The Beach Boys, and The Small Faces.

"The Face Of It" is a record full of guitar-driven pop tunes with a distinctly retro-British sound and harmonies. Forceful guitars sweep along opening track "In The Round", an up tempo affair with an infectious melody and ear-catching guitar break – all comfortably within three minutes. "Free Falls" takes a slower approach with a taste of country-rock, and features vocal styles not completely different to the sound of The La's. Mixing things up once again, "What Have I Gotta Do" features a garage-rock style riff that The Hives would be proud of, with an underlying bass line that is simple yet effective. In comparison, "I Can't Help Myself" is conservative, but has a strong chorus that once again shows off the band's vocals.

A solid rhythm section aids the soulful nature of "Don't Breathe A Word", while "Sending Me Over" adds a touch of groove to the proceedings, but the highlight of the latter stages of the record is "Something Of Nothing." Steered by a stop-start riff, it employs great use of "ooh ooh" backing vocals and shows a serious side that counters the abundant pop moments – another of which is "For Never." With verses that sound like The Beatles and another infectious hook, it epitomises the talent of The Tommies, a band most definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Alex Lai