REVIEW: Nothing Hurts By Male Bonding

(Sub Pop)

3 ½ out of 5

Sub Pop’s latest signing, British three piece Male Bonding, seemingly set out with their first single, ‘Year’s Not Long’ and subsequently with ‘Franklin’, as another band in tune with the jangly, vocally washed out sound that has been doing the rounds as of late (Surfer Blood, Best Coast, Dum Dum Girls). First impressions earmark the band as a wise choice for Sub Pop to work with, if not a somewhat safe choice. Those first impressions are devious though - Nothing Hurts isn’t immediately akin to Vivian Girls or Best Coast in their delivery. Frankly, there a point when they draw more from early Sub Pop bands, Mudhoney or Green River, rather than a certain trio who some outlets have already drawn comparisons to - Bleach era comparisons at that. Though it’s easy to do so - their foldout poster screams homage when adorning the wall. ‘Crooked Scene’ and ‘T.U.F.F’ map out their intentions to bear hallmarks to their label’s golden age, and it becomes feverishly understandable this is a band that don’t so much wear their influences on their sleeves, but have soaked them in different styles (surf being a prevalent one but by no means prolific), and crafted what can fundamentally be called punk. It’s an interesting album that touches upon current trends, rather than buries itself into them.

Review by Benjii Jackson