The Family Rain

The Family Rain are yet another one of the new bands coming out of the UK that are doing it oh so very right. A group of three brothers from Bath, Ollie Walter (guitar/vocals) and twins William Walter (bass/vocals) and Timothy Walter (drums/vocals) officially formed The Family Rain in 2011, although William says they "started to play in bands together about 8 years ago, but the bands always included at least one other member as well as the three of us". This stripped back line-up, showcasing just the essentials of a rock band, really does these boys justice; the result is a raw, bluesy sound that refuses to get out of your head.

Their new single Pushing It is the perfect example of this. It starts off in a suppressed but nonetheless unapologetically heavy fashion; the grainy effects applied to the voice and instruments make it sound like a scratchy old vinyl record (which is the god-given method of playing music). Although the song stays on the same level all the way through, they maintain interest by slight variations in the music, like the guitar backing in the second verse, or the guitar solo after the chorus. As the song progresses, you get the feeling that this would be fantastic live, just because of the mood and the level of energy in the song; indeed, the band have been called a fantastic live band by many fans. The band are currently in the process of a headlining tour around the UK.

 

The band have a small yet select (and fantastic) repertoire: their new EP Pushing It recently came out, and a Youtube search brings up several live performances and previous songs that are each as brilliant as the last. They have a distinctly vintage sound, harking back to the days of The Rolling Stones or AC/DC, which sets them apart from some of the other contemporary indie rock bands. They most certainly aren't a copy-cat band, as the back-to-basics line up and driving drumbeat will tell you.

The band themselves are clearly very ambitious; in an interview with NME Ollie said that "this is not meant to be a small thing. We gave up everything to do this". It's starting to pay off, as they've recently been signed by Virgin EMI, a record label that represents the likes of Arcade Fire, Elton John and Rihanna. I have a feeling that the future is going to be bright for these lads.

Rating: 9/10

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Carnival
Trust Me... I'm A Genius
Friction