Complete Surrender
Caroline
Sheffield’s Slow Club have grown from the pairing of multi-instrumentalists Rebecca Taylor and Charles Watson into a fully formed four-piece band for their third album, Complete Surrender. With the songwriting remaining with the founding pair, the varied influences from Marvin Gaye and Motown to Katy Perry and Taylor Swift are all thrown into the blender to make a stylish record that doesn’t rely too heavily on the retro tag.
Complete Surrender may escape the trap of being overly revisionist but there are some classic sounding tunes from start to finish. Suffering You, Suffering Me would sit nicely in the Goffin & King stable with its clean guitars, stifled strings and Taylor’s rich, warm voice. Mindful not to stay to long in one place, the title track is more akin to a tune from the ‘80s with its hip shaking charm.
When Taylor and Watson share vocal duties for moments such as the breathy Everything Is New, Slow Club have the feel of a more reflective Mates Of State with less sugar in their diet. The Pieces further confirms their medic smarts, but it is Paraguay And Panama that highlights the Slow Club have a knack for also capturing the ache.
Slow Club have made the move from honest folkers to experimental pop duo and now find themselves with a refined and classic sound that ensures Complete Surrender is their most classy showing to date.
Chris Havercroft
