ETCHES

This intentionally mysterious 5 piece ETCHES reside in Liverpool, have only played a handful of gigs, yet have already had plays from BBC Radio and XFM. After taking so much time to perfect their music they prefer to let it do the talking for them, so let’s just focus on that from here on. ‘The Charm Offensive’ is a song that builds upon their first release to the world, ‘Let’s Move In’, utilising sparse percussive rhythms, a bed of gentle electronica, all punctuated with off kilter guitar hooks and melodies that create a mesmerising song.

It’s an ideal foundation for lead vocalist Ross to lay down his sombre vocals, often rightly compared to Interpol‘s Paul Banks, but with a baritone sound more akin to David Martin of iLiKETRAiNS. There’s a melancholic vibe but it hides an underlying beauty that envelopes you more and more on repeat listens. There’s hints of their modern day Scouse peers in their music too, but this is a band who have taken the time to listen, learn, and develop their own sound that sets them apart, demands your attention, and makes the rumours of an album being planned for the not too distant future very exciting indeed.

Words by David McDonald

Tipped by Andy Von Pip