Doing their bit for traditional, northern indie-rock are The Cold One Hundred on this, their debut EP. They're doing so by taking a step back, shifting away from the bands that have blighted their scene for many years. So they deliver this debut EP minus any arrogance and bravado, although this doesn't mean they have no self belief; 'On To The Next One' sounds confident, it just doesn't need to do so by posing in massive coats and using hair-straighteners. They're not your stereotypical lad band and this works in their favour. It's all very well bragging about how good you are and how cool you look, but if you're shit it's only the lager boys who will buy into it nowadays. You need the songs to be the main focus, not some witty attack on another band.
The four tracks here aren't self-important or overblown, but neither are they in any way original. This shouldn't matter if the quality is high, and it is high, but their chances of success will be limited by the undesirable actions of others. These are very good, and very natural, guitar tunes with their feet on the ground but their eyes on the sky. There's an ambition but it doesn't bury the songs; the title-track is a decent indie track that would have had the press excited a few years ago; 'Smoking Saved My Life' almost evokes The Smiths and 'Special Friends' hints at an anthemic future. A little honesty goes a long way, and with a handful of tunes to match let's hope The Cold One Hundred can wave the flag for British guitar bands once again.
The Cold One Hundred's website
Buy the EP
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