With temperatures outside dropping below zero, ‘Foie Gras’, the latest release by Dublin indie three-piece No Monster Club offers a timely respite from the weather. Full of breezy sun tinged grooves; this eclectic mix of styles and sounds is the perfect accompaniment to beat the winter blues.
From the outset its clear this isn’t going to be your run of the mill indie record. Opener Fully Trained Cavemen sets the precedent; an off kilter ramble that is both weird and wonderful in equal measures and instantly brings to mind fellow eccentrics the Flaming Lips.
The acid tinged flavourings of the opener are quickly shelved with the band taking a detour into surf rock over the course of the next three tracks. (I Think You Could Only Get Away With This Carry On When You’re In) The Sun, The Prisoner and Happy Days all come with the same ingredients; sun kissed melodies, laconic vocals, jangly guitars and an attitude that owes more to Southern California than it does to South Dublin.
The genre hopping continues with the album taking another left turn and the band adopting a slightly unhinged indie rock sound. It’s a sound they stick for the rest of the album alternating between lo-fi numbers (I Wanna Be Brainwashed, Warm Pops), and more frenzied scuzzier cuts (La La Land, Lets Go Diggin In Wolfe Tone Square ). Despite the grittier sound, the songs retain the same hazy sun kissed feel that dominates the album.
Summer may be a distant memory but this album does it’s best to remind you of the month of glorious sunshine we experienced last year. With lyrics like ‘I’m not a loser when I got a fuckin’ ice cream’ how could it not. The lyrics and the summer vibe this album carries are certainly fun but what’s most impressive about this album is the balance the band strikes between their pop sensibilities and their more experimental indie driven influences. Though each song is blessed with melodies and hooks that will have you humming them for weeks, there’s enough edge and experimentation to keep things fresh on repeated listening. Expect to hear more from No Monster Club in 2014 but for now enjoy this ultra-catchy, ultra-cool collection of songs.