Nephu Huzzband

EP - Papers

Play 90 second soundbite of 'Wallpaper' @ 'CD quality'

Nottingham four piece Nephu Huzzband's press pack indicates that these guys create "noisy sonic indie using two vocals/guitars, bass and drums" and their Myspace page suggests "alternative, indie, post-punk"; well, that's got most things covered then!! For my money, Nephu Huzzband are very much a lo-fi emo drum and bass outfit that sound very much like a New Order for the twenty-first century.

'Papers', with its four tracks, is generously laden with catchy melodies and repetitive themes that sound very understated but manage to be irritatingly compelling. The songs are undeniably strong; well composed with mature lyrics and well thought out arrangements. Nephu Huzzband play their songs with solidity, conviction and a great deal of self-belief. By pooling together so many genre influences, Nephu Huzzband manage to sound somehow fresh whilst retaining a sizeable piece of familiarity that sort of works for them. Rather than detracting, the lo-fi production adds gritty atmosphere to the already, frustratingly catchy, tasty songs.

I find Nephu Huzzband's music annoyingly likeable but find it quite difficult to pin-point exactly what it is that I'm drawn to; perhaps it's the mildly Franz Ferdinand-esque melodies - maybe it's the kick-ass nifty New Order/Monaco-esque bass lines - could it be the infectious percussion work - or is it the well proportioned voices that get the words across so well? I just don't know what it is!! But, it's more than just OK!

'Papers' by Nephu Huzzband suggests that here we have a more than decent outfit that are striving to go that little bit further by trying to come up with a signature sound and style. It works fine to a point but I can't help feeling that their sound is just too familiar and there are too many '-esques' in there at the moment.

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