A REVIEW OF 'Spiral Staircase' FROM THE VARLETTS - 01/05/2017

The Varletts
From left to right - Laurie, George and Matt

THE VARLETTS are a Nottingham based three-piece who recently released their latest single 'Spiral Staircase' which is best described as what would be produced if The Cribs and The  Wytches came together and wrote a song.

Compromised of Laurie Rowland (lead vocalist & bassist), Matt Drinkwater (guitarist & backing vocalist) and George Topham (drummer & percussionist) they first formed mid-2016 and since then this trio who take pride in their raw and raucous sound and whose songs range from fast-paced rock anthems to melodic ballad and emotional poetic lyrics have already played Nottingham's renowned 'The Bodega' in support of The Vryll Society and Hidden Charms. Following this, the boys of The Varletts went on to play 'The Maze' and headline 'The Lofthouse'.

Taking their influence from a plethora of genres, styles and individuals; from The Cribs and The Wytches to classic rock from the likes of Led Zeppelin. The band members even state some of their inspiration comes from metal bands such as Parkway Drive and Jazz musicians alike.

Now back following their debut single, The Varletts, present 'Spiral Staircase' alongside b-side 'Mint and Marigold'.

'Spiral Staircase' definitely presents a grunge feel throughout by way of both the vocals and instrumentals. As previously stated, if The Cribs and The Wytches ever came together for a song this is what I would imagine it to sound like.

The single itself is full of catchy riffs that you just know would get a crowd dancing along to at a gig of theirs, they have created the perfect balance between grunge and indie-rock.

When I listened to the first single from these boys I thought they had created an excellent summation of their sound through that and it's B-side, this is something which they have definitely done again.

 

Both songs sound considerably different in style, even down to Laurie's voice but both songs are ones which I very much like but they still manage to reasonate the sound they wish to achieve.

The Varletts definitely know what kind of sounds they wish to achieve through their music and they aren't afraid to experiment with their sound making sure their songs all sound different.

With singles and b-sides I usually have a favourite but with what I have heard from The Varletts, particularly through this single I find due to the fact that they do sound considerably different it is quite difficult to choice between the two as they are both to my tastes musically.

Overall, this single signifies of great things to come from this trio which are already well in motion.

Written by Sophie.