Barely a week goes by without some news story hailing the comeback of vinyl, but, truth be told, the format (in the UK at least) is still below figures from 1996, and WAY off its 1970s heyday. A recent story stated that Daft Punk had sold 19,000 copies of their last album on vinyl, putting them miles ahead of the competition in that respect. Sounds good, until you learn that total sales across all formats were 339,000 copies in the first week, meaning that it was in fact less than 5% of total sales. Still, some music fans will always prefer physical formats, and growing up with both vinyl and tape, I'll always have a soft spot for the durable, cheap and compact cassette. London indie-punks Feature recently compiled two UK released onto this format for an Australian release on Brisbane's Ruined Smile Records. The initial run sold out (although it was far less than 19,000 copies), and so second run been made.
They waste no time in getting down to business, storming through first track, the DIY sounding 'Psalms' in what seems like seconds, despite it being almost three minutes. If something sounds shorter than it actually is, it's rarely a bad sign. 'Reeling' is a bit less frantic but is still comprised of simple riffs and melodies, this time incorporating some nice harmonies too. It's possibly even better. The final track from the 'Culture Of The Copy' release is the chugging, grungy alt-rock that is 'Twins' where the band delve into '60s pop and convert it into a buzzsaw indie tune. There's not really a marked difference between these three songs and the two taken from the 'Tourists' EP. Another non-stop blast of grungy riffs comes at you with 'Wisdom Teeth', but it retains a certain pop sensibility at all times. More angular and jagged is 'Tourist Fiction' which feels like it belongs on the fringes of the early '80s post-punk scene whilst also taking in a little riot grrrl. Maybe it's due to growing up listening to similar sounds on the same format, but Feature and cassettes seem like a perfect match. Bring on the tape revival.
Feature's website
Stream or buy the EP
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