Wolverhampton's METHODS, Anything - EP review

The synth-rock five-piece sit comfortably within the confines of post-punk, but they shake off a lot of the gloom and serious contemplation of the greats of yesteryear and display the green chutes of future life.

They've teased us with some beautiful singles previously. The two 2018 hits Mankind and Fires were exceptional. And these used the deep, reverberating bass and pained vocals associated with the brand. This is no bad thing, there will always be a place on this earth for the sheer atmospherics of a genre of songwriting that has stayed immensely popular since the days of Joy Division.

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But in frontman Ash Bradley they have a vocalist whose voice is on a higher-pitched plane. It's not the deep growls of the late, great Ian Curtis, White Lies' Harry McVeigh or The Sisters Of Mercy's Andrew Eldritch.

There is a bright quality to his delivery that is closer to Embrace's Danny McNamara or Delays' Greg Gilbert.

And here they lift the music a tad to allow him to soar. Take the track No Cover with its soaring melodies that open into orchestral tones in the chorus. It's a song for reaching up and out and grabbing the next opportunities. The hopefulness builds throughout, powered by the masterful drumming of Peter Bates.

Back Of Your Hand opens the EP up nicely after the electronic Intro in a similar vane. The chorus here is exceptional and this will be a storming track live as the synths from Jon Nash really hit home. It's also the heaviest piece of the record as Ryan Deakin's guitar is allowed to dance a little.

True to the genre throughout is the deep, thunderous bass you want to hear. Adam Hall really stomps throughout Collector with its at-times frantic pacing that leaves no room for breath to be taken in.

And we end on the deepest of the material - the swirling Human Existance. It's very The Slow Readers Club meets The Slow Show as the dark strands are allowed to circle one another to build a slower, thicker sound than elsewhere.

If this is what's to come from them, there's going to be a bright future for METHODS.

Rating: 8/10

METHODS were due to launch the EP with a show at Wolverhampton's The Newhampton Inn tonight, but this has had to be cancelled due to circumstances out of their control. It has instead been rearranged for The Clarendon in Chapel Ash on November 30.