Prince Vaseline have hung around the Brighton music scene waiting their turn for quite some time now. Consistently earning credible support slots with the likes of Yuck, Tigercub and British Sea Power, they have never really made their own signature upon the scene. Love Thy Neighbour took their hand for this third release, On An Island and in doing so, the group are now reaping their just desserts.

It was only a matter of time though before they broke the back of Brighton and as they are currently touring the UK with Toy, it seems that the touring world and recording world are colliding to form quite the bombastic platform for Prince Vaseline. Do not be mistaken by the illusion that On An Island, with its wistful title, swims purely in idyllic pleasantries and gentleness. In fact, it unites the often more carefree sounds synonymous with group and pushes them into clunkier and more confident realms, packed with overdrive and squalls of fuzz.

The soundscapes that dwindle around psychedelia and atmospherics that have previously been attributed to the band are still present in the likes of ‘Rice’ and ‘On An Island’. ‘Rice’ swims in baths of colour and woozy electronics, it can be placed into some of the sounds released via Sacred Bones, the likes of Psychic Ills, Marissa Nadler and The Holydrug Couple. It demonstrates one of the rarer and more soothing sides to the album, a break among more angsty sounds.

On An Island gets interesting with the frequent nose-dives into slightly more rollocking numbers. The likes of ‘Mr Natural’ and the album-title track carry speed and agility within their movement. ‘Mr Natural’ displaces the baritone vocals of frontman, Max Erle, against the frosty chiming of the synths. The song isn’t too dissimilar to the likes of Ride and Lush, the heavier side of shoegaze that finds the blend between reverb and thundering percussion. ‘Wanderer’ too forces this aggressive streak even further – it jitters at the start, bouncing upon Erle’s guitar and catching you in the midriff with its post-punk gloomy fist.

This post-punk, psychedelic mix is something that the band grapple with throughout the album, half falling into the Oughts and Preoccupations whilst stuttering through The Brian Jonestown Massacre at the same time. ‘Animal Man’ is a foot tapper that opens the album, the slashing of the guitar cuts into a brute force of percussion with Erle’s voice rising to a clamour, yelling: “I know, I know, I know it, I know”.

Brighton’s music scene has long demanded an act that falls into this territory, too much of it recently hasn't really felt that important. 2016 has been a hard year by all extremes of the term – be it politically, dealing with death or financially. To have a band that can soundtrack this in some form without offering pointless escapism is satisfying. ‘I Ran’ continues where ‘Animal Man’ climbed off, this time taking the tempo and dropping it down a touch, occasionally giving a slight doom-rock undertone. At times the guitar work is extremely powerful and falls not too far from the tree of The Smashing Pumpkins with huge apocalyptic sounds that begin to decay as the notes ring out.

Prince Vaseline have pulled together a short album that demonstrates many of their influences as opposed to a single one. It’s a short marvel to behold, taking slices from various musical pies. ‘Racehorse’ falls back to the likes of Grandaddy with its early 90s-alt rock feel – slightly distorted guitar melodically dances as opposed to the rushing force it previously used. This album is an essential listen for anybody keen to grasp what could be Brighton’s best export of 2017, it further proves that Love Thy Neighbour are still championing some of the best music to come from the city.
Tom Churchill

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