“AND WHAT A BITCH, TO SAY YOU COULD HAVE SEEN US IN LOVE/AND I WAS ROBBED OF MY YOUTH BEFORE I KNEW WHAT IT WAS”, goes the chorus. A hook that’s hypnotised since it first arrived through the letterbox two solid weeks ago.
This, my friend, is the first offering from London’s Kurran and the Wolfnotes, who are hotly tipped to be the next fantastic addition to Britain’s indie-folk outbreak. The infectious strum along stems from a jangly Marr-esque guitar-line, but it’s the warm and heartfelt Samuel Beam-like vocal delivery of Kurran himself that masks the obvious and prevents the cries of “Plagiarism!”. Whirring drums and added percussion attach an urgency, which prevents the whole thing from being a bit too-Willie Nelson, plus a joyous pop bridge bounds in on the two-minute mark making the whole thing an immediate and accessible affair. And to top it off, it’s all wrapped together with glorious boy-girl harmonies and the Wolfnotes’ melancholic campfire shuffle. Whilst it may not be a truly groundbreaking first showing, the alt. folk five-piece have conjured a country-tinged triumph that promises plenty more lovelorn sing-alongs in 2010.
You can pick it up via the rather marvellous Chess Club indie label on November 23rd or you can pre-order through Rough Trade here
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