The bedrock of psychedelia and shoegaze music has often dug its heels in with what stipulates that sound. Many have come and had a crack at replicating this, often taking the reverb, drenched wall of sound that My Bloody Valentine largely introduced us to. With this they have found the ring of John Squire’s guitar and the dilapidated, hazy vocals of Tim Burgess. SULK are a band that demonstrated they so fiercely knew their sound back in 2013 with their debut, Graceless. So, now the London five-piece hit back with their more muscular sounding sophomore effort, No Illusions. Whereas their debut outlined their intentions as a band, their sophomore follows through with it, adding to the outer ring, solidifying it, but, what more does it offer?
SULK are a band that are furiously riding The Stone Roses for everything they own. From the way the guitar patches ring around on the opening track, ’Black infinity (Upside Down)’ right through to how Jon Sutcliffe’s vocal delivery carries the same washed out swagger that King Monkey himself bled into British music. This isn’t always a bad thing. The aforementioned ‘Black Infinity’ carries groove and it is a well-crafted piece of music, it performs exactly what it promises; huge drums outline build-ups whilst all the while the ringing melody of Tomas Kubowicz’s guitar lapses around with its cathedral reverb. Swagger is there, the rhythm section pounds relentlessly like a pitbull
on a short lead and Andrew Needle’s rhythm sections hum in the background causing for lovely atmospheric washes, so come on No Illusions, give me more. We are opening strong.
Elsewhere, No Illusions flexes where its predecessor failed; the monstrosity of the impact when that wall of sound in ‘The Only Faith In Love’ hits you leaves you dazed and confused somewhere far, far away. The title track ‘No Illusions’ points closer to the debut record with its jangling guitar intro that carries that happy-go-lucky innocence that everyone adores. It’s a pleasure to your ears even as it does pick up on the likes of The Stone Roses’ ‘Made Of Stone’ a little too obviously. It’s all very jolly and wrapped within its own nostalgic innocence which is perfectly okay, to an extent. ‘Drifting’ performs exactly what the previous songs on the album did. It shows promise with a great hooking guitar line that wraps itself around the rhythm section, complimenting it every step of the way but, it’s all just becoming a little like for like now, a little too formulaic. It goes big on the guitar intro, hit with the pounding rhythm, washed out vocals and a chorus that trips and stumbles upon its own expectation – a bit like a six year-old would when they come onstage at the Christmas play only to be surprised that they have been given the main part.
This music constantly demands one thing that defines what makes it quintessentially good. What the likes of The Stones Roses, The Charlatans and Kula Shaker did well lied within their ability to write a mammoth chorus that could get 80,000 punters singing it back at them in unison – ‘The Only One I Know’, ‘Hey Dude’ and pretty much the entirety of The Stone Roses’ back-catalogue. This is where SULK fall down, there is no chorus that screams out to you with a huge hook. It all falls in quite a lacklustre fashion around loose guitar lines that tend to match on each song in a like for like manner, the uniform fashion points towards a band that are so intent on nailing that Britpop sound that is ultimately a little out of their grasps it appears. ‘One Day’ shows a band that have all the right ideas of how to make the sound but they are just missing the final step in execution. It’s too structural and formatted, so much so that any swagger and baggy nonchalance it built up suddenly becomes too tense and organised due to the fact they appear so conscious as to what is contributing to their sound.
No Illusions stands in its most interesting format when they strip themselves of their obvious influences. ‘Past Paradise’ carries hints of aggression and angst with its jarring opening before being followed by that wall of sound we saw earlier. When the influences are taken off the sleeve, they begin to find their footing somewhat as a band in their own right. Guitar solos blaze over the top whilst the real signature part of the album lies in Lewis Jones’ drumming with volume and their wet, pounding rhythm. It is these drums that carry the slightly more menacing, darkened vision of ‘The Tape Of You’, another song that really exaggerates the notion that SULK have more to them than the sun-kissed psychedelia. Similarly, it brings with it one of those majestic choruses that all the songs on this album really want, it booms with ethereal tones and poised elegance.
It’s unfortunately drab though when SULK fall back on these Britpop/shoegaze influences that become less of influences and more of obvious, blatant comparisons. There is little originality that lies within No Illusions. What SULK seem to have done is add a muscular overtone within their previous album. It’s not necessarily muscle that has been added though, it’s fat and in turn, this just makes for a lethargic listen that never really gets going. The rhythm section is what stands out as the guitar lines and vocals never really distinguish much from one track to the next. That reverberated, slightly distorted guitar is precisely the same on each and every track, similarly Sutcliffe’s vocals never seem to vary too much, each time hitting you like a wet flannel around the face when you try and beat the hangover out of your mind. They constantly aim for all that The Charlatans tried to incorporate within Some Friendly but they dilute the soul of the music. SULK have evidenced everything that is a little too wrong with a 90s hangover; it is where sun-kissed psychedelia, too much emphasis on hazy nostalgia and mediocrity come and lie together. SULK unfortunately still remain largely caught within their own illusion, despite the fact the title may suggest as otherwise.
Tom Churchill
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