The Statements - Makin' A Statement (Album Review)

The Statements are a 5-piece alternative rock band from Manchester. The Mancunian 5-piece consists of; lead singer, Frank Bride, Ian Douglas on lead guitar, Matthew Nation on rhythm guitar, Richard Mosoph on bass and Sean Kinahan on the drums. The Statements are now signed by Flicknife Records after their debut album 'We Stand Divided' made a good impression on the label. From there on, the band have supported such acts as; American Phenomenon, Adam Bomb Experience  and the one and only - Inspiral Carpets! The 12-track album was released on the 26th of October 2015, but the real question is - what is their statement? Well let's see and try to find out...

The opening track is called 'You'll Never Take Me Alive' and you're welcomed by groovy guitar riffs and then the track is shortly accompanied by Kinahan on the drums then followed by Bride's distinctive northern rock voice. This track exploits the talents of each musician in equal measures; as they all get a time to shine - whether it's a solo, or whether they dominate a particular part of the track. The following song is called 'Bad Cilla'. This track has a very countrified western-themed intro on the guitar, however it is shortly accompanied by the gritty vocals and rhythmic drums. The next one is more of a softer song and it is called 'In My Head'. I would definitely say that this is one of the more catchy tracks off the album with its repetetive lines in the chorus;

"It's in my head, it's in my head, it's in my head."

All three of these tracks sound heavily influenced by alternative 90's garage-rock grunge bands like; Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins and Foo Fighters for example. The following song is a very slow and emotional ballad which appears to be about dealing with the death of someone very close by drinking away your sorrows due to being lost without them. This beautiful track about the repercussions of a person who is suffering the loss of a loved one is called - 'Lost'. 

"I miss you every day, but I love you always."

The Statements fifth track is called 'Time Will Tell' and this song sounds quite inspired by 90's britpop band - Oasis. This is perhaps one of my favourite tracks so far; with its soft intro on the guitar that gradually increases its beat in order to be up to pace with the upbeat drummer, Kinahan.

 "But only time will tell if all is well - you & me."

The ensuing number is called 'In Your Own Way'. The intro sounds quite inspired by The Kooks due to the ring of the guitars, however soon as Bride sings with his powerful northern rock voice, the bands influence soon delves back into Oasis again; like the previous song. The seventh number really shows you how eclectic the band are; this rock n roll track goes full throttle with the heavy guitars and punchy drums. This RnR track has a very catchy chorus and the sarcastic title of 'They Say' - and it goes a bit like this...

"It's nice to meet you, now get out of my way. May it be tomorrow, or be another day - yeah!"

The eighth track is called 'Feelin' and as you may have already guessed it is about being able to feel something and having that mutual connection with someone. This song has a nice slow melody during the intro on the guitars and it is yet again another admirable ballad with a catchy chorus.

"When I get that feelin' yeah, when I'm deep inside"

'Hurricane' is their ninth track and it has a very slow intro that gradually builds to become a good and stable rock song with hints of Oasis inspiration again.

"But I'll always be, just what you want me to be."

The tenth track is called 'Government' - it has an upbeat instrumental and it is about the corruption of the government and how the working class are just wasting away, and throwing away their precious time in order to just survive. The second to last song is called 'Don't Sing To Me' it has a very grunge intro which soon picks up; mainly dominated by the drums. Yet again, this is another track that embraces the talents of each musician within the band as you can distinctively hear each and every one of them. The final track to close off the album is called - 'Sleeping With The Enemy' and something about this song title sounds incredibly sinister and I don't quite know why... A very rock n roll track! Sounds like a song that would close off a film or a series about a biker gang!

In conclusion, without a shadow of a doubt - this band are capable of many things; with their eclectic range of songs and talented musicians there isn't much more that they really need in this album... My favourites would have to be the three slow songs ;  'In My Head' , 'Feelin' and 'Lost'. However their more rock styled tracks also took to my fancy such as 'Time Will Tell' and their closing track 'Sleeping With The Enemy'. Even though there are various influences that took their toll throughout the album, Foo Fighters are the one band that The Statemets distinctively reminded me of. If you would like to listen to this album you can stream it on Spotify or you can buy it on iTunes. I wish you all the best of luck during your future endeavours lads, it has been a pleasure reviewing your album.