Exlovers - You Forget So Easily

You Forget So Easily is the new release from Exlovers out now on 10” vinyl and download. The song is probably the finest thing they have released to date. Acoustic guitars create a dreamy strum through the end of summer, projecting a vague similarity to The Lemonheads or The Cure at their most poppy, whilst youthfully sad lyrics proclaim “I know the future doesn’t favour me.” Chin up Pete it will get better we’re sure. The easy criticism of the song would be that it is just a little bit limp sounding. Exlovers certainly aren’t going to appeal to chest beating ape men who want to fight in the street after six pints of lager. Instead You Forget So Easily will be loved by bookish and gentle indie boys and girls. It’s a song for creatures who appreciate a delicate song that rolls around with one line of melody repeated over and over, never finding a chorus or variation, but through subtlety manages to become parasitically lodged in the brain.

The video features stuffed animals, lots of foliage, lampshades and dresses hanging from coat hangers giving the band a slightly haughty air of ‘we’re a little odd, but not that odd’. We particularly like the way that Laurel gently bobs around, staring vacantly wide eyed into the camera in an offhanded slightly sultry verging on sexy way. She’ll probably give a few quiet indie geeks happy dreams. Pete meanwhile seems to give the appearance of someone with the same first name as himself - a folky version of Mr Doherty, which may do something for a certain breed of growing up Libertines fan, if that look still does something for you. It should all be about the music though not what the band look like shouldn't it ? Yeah right.

Emmy The Great + Exlovers @ Brighton Komedia / Resident Records

"It’s cool that it’s snowing and we’re completely unplugged," smiles Emma Lee-Moss, the singer songwriter more commonly known as Emmy The Great. Perched atop the counter at the best record store in Brighton, Resident Records, Emmy is here to play a free early evening set with little amplification and not even a microphone stand. Instead she asks a member of the audience to hold the mic for her so that she can play her guitar. Accompanied by just a violin the simplicity of the set highlights her often thought provoking and sometimes disturbing lyrics; "They pulled a human from my waist, it had your mouth, it had your face, I would have kept it if I'd stayed," she sings staring hard at the audience on City Song. Despite this intensity, Emmy has a warmth with her banter that keeps the snow at bay. "Are we going to have to eat CD’s and start mating with each other?" she asks after suggesting that everyone may get snowed in tonight. Fortunately mating is not required, only a short walk along the ice wrapped slabs of the North Lanes to the main event at the Komedia later in the evening.

In the basement darkness of the Komedia, main support band Exlovers bring their jingle jangle guitars and boy girl harmonies to Brighton. The recorded version of Just A Silhouette is sparkling and sprightly, but tonight both the bands appearance and sound is lackadaisical, the vocals languid, the guitars sounding just a little too distorted to do their songs any justice. The whole performance seems too straightforward and pedestrian indie, misjudged to an audience that for the most part are seeking gentle folk thrills, with seventy per cent of the crowd sitting on the floor of the supposedly standing area.

Then it’s Emmy again. With her second performance of the evening brings a full band. Against a backdrop of tiny white lights Emmy displays a calm detached stillness that charms the appreciative silent crowd. In between songs she maintains the engaging and amusing dialogue that seems to be an integral part of any Emmy The Great gig. "My manger doesn’t think I would get past the auditions of X Factor," she jokes. The musicianship is delightful, a gentle flush of acoustic folk touched with a hint of Joni Mitchell in the vocal that shows the benefits of playing numerous shows. We Almost Had A Baby even adds an unusual late 50's / early 60's influence to her gentle sound.

Unfortunately by halfway through the set some doubts concerning the ability of this balladry to hold the attention begin to creep in. The lyrics are intelligent, observant, detailed and sometimes just plain funny, as on one of her oldest and best songs The Hypnotists Son, where she sings "Every time that I think of you, I have to go to the toilet, can’t tell if this is love, or a stomach disorder." However the melodies have a tendency to meander. Although in recorded form this may bring a more longer lasting and satisfying experience as one delves into the complexities of the song, in the live arena unfamiliarity can sometimes be helped by a degree of immediacy.

This doesn’t seem to bother the highly attentive crowd however, who lap up every moment, and Emmy The Great certainly seems to have achieved ‘job well done’ status tonight. It will be interesting to see if the album, when released next week, can fully hold the attention through sophisticated song craft or if the lack of in between chat will be much missed.

Exlovers - New Waves @ Breaking More Waves

Are exlovers (note the intentional lack of capital letter) really that ? Or is it just a neat band name to get people talking ? Lyrics such as “We’ll keep secrets from each other,” in their sad sounding and strangely titled song SOF ( yes, capital letters this time) certainly don’t help.

Irrespective of past relationships and whatever secrets they hold, exlovers name is out of the bag and beginning to spread. Tours with acts such as Cheeky Cheeky and the Nosebleeds, Golden Silvers and Pete and the Pirates have lead to exposure for the group. Their restrained mix of subtle melodies, boy girl harmonies and jangling guitars can be heard on Silhouette, a single released late last year. It provided a pleasant and slightly dreamy sound that would fit neatly in the record collection of those who like bands such as Belle and Sebastian, Teenage Fanclub and other late 80’s / early 90’s Scottish indie groups, even though this five piece are from London.

The sound of exlovers is rooted resolutely in old school indie where sweetly chiming guitars are contained and never veer into rock riffs or mosh pit pleasers. These are the kind of toe tapping, head nodding harmonics that have no ambitions to play Wembley Arena, preferring to scuttle and shuffle around the fringes, melting a few hearts in the process.

The group are due to release a new single Photobooth at the end of February following a lengthy support tour around the UK with Emmy The Great and a one off date supporting Pete Doherty.