New Music: Talkboy - Wasting Time

There’s been more than one occasion now where a writer has stated that comparing one artist to another in terms of what they sound like is lazy journalism. That’s bollocks. Cutting and pasting a whole press release and then passing it off as your own is lazy journalism. Equivalence, especially in new music writing, is a useful tool to give a reader at least a vague sense of if the music might be something that appeals to their tastes. It isn't lazy – it requires a bit of thought.

Which brings me to Leeds based sextet Talkboy. So far I’ve seen them compared to Franz Ferdinand, Arcade Fire, Alvvays, The Big Moon, Sophie Ellis Bextor (that was me) and on new single Wasting Time the intro has the trippy feel of The Beatles more LSD influenced moments. The point is that Talkboy, whilst sitting in the indie rock / pop genre, are exploring lots of different avenues within it.  “One of Yorkshire’s most exciting indie prospects,” the press release tells me. It’s not wrong – screw it if I’m being a lazy there. (If you think I’m the only one so Google the words ‘Talkboy one of Yorkshire’s most exciting indie prospects’ and play spot the copy and paste job!) I’d go further than just Yorkshire with the praise for Talkboy though – to at least the north of England - maybe even further. 

What makes them deserve the hype? At its core the answer is the songs. They’re inventive, hooky, well-constructed and bloody enjoyable. Wasting Time is another example. Dealing with the conflict of the world of adult responsibilities whilst trying to enjoy the here and now of youth it’s chock full of melodies, harmonies and is wonderfully executed in every respect. If this is how Talkboy waste their time, let’s let them do more of it.

Talkboy play a number of festival shows over the next few months in the UK including Live At Leeds, The Great Escape (Alt Escape Show), Long Division Festival, Blue Dot and Y-Not. 

Talkboy - Wasting Time

New Music: Talkboy - Someone Else For You

In my previous post I wrote how it was 3 out of 3 for really great singles from Melissa Jefferson aka Lizzo. The same can be said of Talkboy, an emerging band from Leeds who having already impressed with the tracks Mother and Over & Under and are doing it again now with new one Someone Else For You. 

It’s two and a half minutes of glorious indie guitar pop based on the idea of trying to be someone you’re not for another person and it's all carried along by some arresting ice-cool vocals from band member Katie Heap that to my ears bear some resemblance to Sophie Ellis Bextor (a very good thing). If you’re a fan of the likes of Anteros or Alvvays the chances are you’re going to love Someone Else For You. What, it seems, makes Talkboy stand out over the hundreds of other indie hopefuls is an ability to pen a really strong song and they aren't limited to one idea.

It’s still very early days for the group, but there’s news of an EP on the way and they’ve confirmed they are playing at Live at Leeds and Stockton Calling so far. Here at Breaking More Waves I’m hoping they make it down to my neck of the woods on the south coast one day, so if someone would like to make that happen that would be great thank you.

Talkboy - Someone Else For You

New Music: Talkboy - Over & Under

Well this is bloody marvellous. It’s the second time this week that we visit Leeds (after the rather excellent Ørmstons on Tuesday) and this time it’s for the second song from Talkboy, the follow up to Mother, which you might remember from a past post (here).

Over & Under is like when you are excitedly packing your suitcase for holiday and you can’t squeeze the lid down, it’s so full. It’s a whirlwind of a tune rammed with many simple but brilliant ideas and a contagious frenetic energy. Sharp sparky riffs, hammered keyboards and a big anthem of a chorus are all present; it’s a song that could have been stolen from the stray bits of hundreds of great British bands over the years, but still vehemently manages to find its own space. 

There’s some interesting lyrics in the song as well, with the band reflecting on the shallowness of some relationships, knowing people but not really knowing them, and despite the uplifting nature of the chorus, the words “lately I’ve been feeling so down that I don’t really care how this turns out,” tell a different tale.

Talkboy are shaping up to be something rather wonderful. 

Talkboy - Over & Under

New Music: Introducing - Talkboy

Talkboy might just be about to become your new favourite indie six piece from Leeds. OK, you may not actually have a current favourite indie six piece from Leeds, but trust me on this, you’re just about to get one.

Bringing the soft sound of the sixties with a more robust guitar-based edge, Mother is all about the rose-tinted spectacled world of parental expectation: "I was always perfect in her eyes, and all I ever did was tell her lies." As the girl-boy vocals convey the angsty thoughts of being a major disappointment to the person who brought you into the world, you might well expect the whole tune to become a bit maudlin, but then all of sudden there’s an uplifting hook and an end conclusion of acceptance: "My mother turned to me last night. She saw I was a normal person." Hurrah! We reach a happy ending. Lovely stuff.

Talkboy are Katie Heap (vocals), Calum Juniper (vocals), Tim Malkin (guitar), Charlotte Jones (keys), Tom Sargent (bass), and Jake Greenway (drums) and have already played at Live at Leeds and a show curated by Abbie McCarthy of BBC Introducing. There’s elements of many classic British indie bands to their sound and if they have any other tunes as good as Mother in their bag it probably won’t be the last time you see them on Breaking More Waves.

Talkboy - Mother