When No Front Teeth Records issue a new record there’s something like a bat signal goes up over the city so all the sleazy cats know to raid their nan’s purse to gather the funds to pay for a copy.  The Flesh Of The City is the latest release and when they said it was a bit of Gaggers and a bit of Miscalculations and a bit of Shanghai Wires it was a given we’d have a copy.

Sounding like a bit of one and a riff of the other it’s no surprise that Marco has his stamp all over this.  Sounding like a heavily spiked Buzzcocks melody on opener ‘The Visceral Jolt’ which is pretty much the theme throughout to be fair. as soon as one finishes the next rough diamond kicks in.  ‘The Patron Saint Of Murder’ has a dash of early Manics about it more so in the melody and perhaps the subject matter. With the album, an old school split of four on side A and four on side B it’s not going to be prog lengthed tunes either so it’s sharp and to the point.  There is a lo-fi style to the production which is something of a trademark and it does remind me of Tubeway Army as well in the delivery of the songs, with a pretty simple set up.  I’m also getting pre Ant Music Adam and the Ants especially on songs like ‘Cadaver In Waiting’ which is almost new wave rather than angular punk and the use of the spoken words sort of draws in the bands I’ve mentioned so far.

The title track kicks off side two and with its Pete Shelley minimal guitar break but the tom thumping on the chorus is what makes this the stand out track as the bass rumbles on it’s a great song plain and simple. ‘Taking Credit For Other Peoples Ideas’ sounds like the way The Cure should have gone had they headed through the punk door and not the Goth door.  There is a familiarity about the chorus here and it’s not until later that I find myself repeating the melody.

Its a really solid way to jump into 2019 that with an album I know I was going to like before I dropped the needle and when I had I was so pleased that it met my expectations there is even a hint of Blondie about ‘Hide Your Face’ and to close the album the band smash it by taking it up a notch or two with ‘Inside You’ again with that Joy Division like guitar lick on the end of the verse its a pleasure to hear it all works like a well-oiled machine.  I really enjoyed The Flesh Of The Citys debut and would highly recommend it to anyone with good taste in punk rock and new wave its a winner.

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