When I saw Blaenavon a fortnight ago, I said I felt that I had come away from their show feeling like I had discovered the UK’s next biggest artist. Now, and with the release of their debut album That’s Your Lot, I not only stand by that statement, but feel as though the entirety of the world is about to discover this remarkable three-piece and their simply beautiful sound.

We are greeted to the 12-piece album with ‘Take Care’ and the track essentially sums up Blaenavon in around five minutes of musical madness. The dreamy opening riffs and simple bassline pulses through, and singer Ben Gregory’s vocals proceed to carry the track into its prime. A transition into high flourishes and building drums before the simple yet effective chorus give ‘Take Care’ a certain factor that will definitely appeal to the masses. The track acts as brilliant introduction to the album, demonstrating Blaenavon’s unique sound beautifully whilst not being too “In your face” as it were. The message to “Take care of yourself” acts almost as a foreshadowing for the remainder of the record to come, which for those unprepared, will certainly put you in a state of shock.

Blaenavon have mastered the ability to not only generate some of the catchiest songs I’ve come across in a long while, but their ability to mask the dismal and despairing nature of their tracks under a beautifully summery sound is both intriguing and almost hilarious. ‘Let’s Pray’ is one such example and, whilst it holds all of the optimistic summer tones that you’d find within any indie band, the track holds some beautifully disturbing imagery and is yet another wonderfully written song.

A number of pre-released singles build up the bulk of this record, so fans will find a strange sense of familiarity to the record whilst also being able to still enjoy plenty of newer tracks. It is Ben’s vocals that do truly bring Blaenavon’s sound to life, whilst all of the individual playing styles blend perfectly, Ben’s vocal adaptability in tracks such as ‘Alice Come Home’ borders on the divine. A raw intense mixture of high and lower notes are concocted in such a way that it feels as though the three piece-band are producing the sound of an entire orchestra.

Such a large proportion of bands on the indie/alternative scene today feel like passing flings and stick to what feels safe within their music. Blaenavon are none of these things. Their uniqueness and eccentricities are what makes this band so special, they don’t ‘feel’ like any other artist yet still utilise their talents in a way that produces tunes which are incredibly powerful. The band’s sheer lack of cliches is also fantastic and makes for a listen that, despite the optimistic overtones intertwined with darker undertones, makes for a truly refreshing listen from cover to cover.

For me, ‘I Will Be The World’ takes the top spot on the album, the song’s ability to grow into a cataclysmic sea of colour from such a simple beginning is truly amazing; the four minute track feels more like a distanced journey than a short, snappy, unthought out track.

No two songs on this record feel the same, some stress minimalistic yet incredibly intricate structures such as ‘Let Me See What Happens Next’ or ‘Ode To Joe’, whilst others like ‘My Bark Is Your Bite’ and ‘Lonely Side’ explode into choruses that are impossible not to sing along to after the first listen! All are able to hold up as singles yet are still cohesive enough to work beautifully in producing a fantastic listen from start to finish.

I still stand by my statement and do honestly feel that Blaenavon are the UK’s next big artist. The only way is definitely up for this trio and I’m sure That’s Your Lot will be an enormous stepping stone for the band in their future careers.
Ben Walker

Website: blaenavon.com
Facebook: facebook.com/blaenavon
Twitter: twitter.com/blaeners