Tiger Island: Let’s Go Out
CD | Vinyl | Streaming
Out Now
Tiger Island bare their teeth with Let’s Go Out, their fierce garage punk debut album. Andy Brown hits the town for Louder Than War.
Let’s Go Out comes on like an energetic thrill ride through neon-lit backstreets, littered with empty bottles and broken hearts. Over the course of a breathless 30-minute runtime, the Tiger Island debut doesn’t just paint the town red, it burns it to the goddamn ground. This metaphorical blaze is fuelled by great tunes and garage punk soul. Urgent and close to tumbling over the edge, it’s an album about grabbing life by scruff of the neck. One thing is abundantly clear… No one’s going home until the last place throws us out.
The album follows on nicely from their 2024 EP Looka Looka Looka, providing all the snarling riffs and attitude that your garage punk loving heart could possibly desire. Vocalist Penny Brazier and Matt Colmer provide the finger bleeding guitars while Matt Perrot (bass) and Kev Sanderson (drums) keep the albums raw, impassioned and defiantly human heart pumping. AI could never replicate this kind of heartfelt hullabaloo. Kath Hartley’s keys are the cherry on the – booze soaked and highly flammable – cake. Tasty!
In under two-minutes, Comments Boy sets the tone with Brazier frantically singing over a furiously-paced garage punk firecracker: “We haven’t got long; we’ll all be dead soon babe.” It’s time to put your phone down, kick that loser to the curb and go out and “find some love.” That sense of irrepressible urgency is something that resonates throughout the record. Consider, Brazier and Co. to be your very own band of Tyler Durden’s, minus the underground boxing and explosive soap making.
There’s a lot of fantastic bands coming out of Yorkshire, yet these songs contain levels of strut and swagger that still appear to be in shockingly short supply. Channelling 90s/ early 00s American garage punk greats like Hot Snakes and The Murder City Devils – I mean, just listen to those cool keys – it’s fair to say that these songs scratch an itch that’s been bugging me for way too long. Oh, and you can even add a dash of QOTSA and a hint of The Wipers for good measure. All the good stuff.
While the tunes certainly put you at the heart of a Saturday night, the songs explore a number of themes. Co-pilots is a raw glimpse into grief as the singer describes that feeling when it all unexpectedly hits: “A day could be the same as any other/ Then a tidal wave takes my breath away.” Matched to the bands brooding yet equally urgent instrumentation, it has to be one of the most spine-tingling tracks here. It’s a song that makes the album’s let’s go out ethos feel all the more meaningful. If you’ve been looking for a sign to call that friend, maybe this is it…
Elsewhere, highlights include the excellent Guilty Pleasures. It’s song that tackles a seemingly light-hearted subject matter, yet it manages to really encapsulate what the album’s all about. “Let the heart like what the heart likes/ Whatever makes you dance in the middle of the night,” Brazier insists in the midst of the thoroughly joyous new wave racket. It’s a song about throwing yourself into a piece of music… and really, is there any greater thrill? Life – my dear friends – is way too short for guilty pleasures. Let the music snobs and gutless gatekeepers be damned.
Somehow, the band have captured that sense of life-affirming, sweat-soaked catharsis that they produce on stage. Just wrap your lugholes around Find Out Who You Are (And Do It on Purpose) or the unbelievably ace, Not Dead Yet. The former is a rollicking three-and-a-half-minute banger while the latter provides a rather convincing argument for leaving the house. “Don’t you forget/ You’re not dead yet!” Brazier barks before the band come in with those last gang in town backing vocals. Oof! They sound damn-near unstoppable.
Half an hour might seem somewhat brief but it’s a runtime that makes Let’s Go Out hit all the harder; there simply isn’t a second wasted. Tiger Island have undoubtedly delivered the kind of debut album that all rock ‘n’ roll bands aspire to; it’s a fun, surprisingly layered and endlessly exhilarating trip to tiger town. This is one night out that you don’t want to dodge.
~
You can find Tiger Island on Facebook, Instagram and Bandcamp.
All words by Andy Brown. You can visit his author profile and read more of his reviews for Louder Than War HERE.
A Plea From Louder Than War
Louder Than War is run by a small but dedicated independent team, and we rely on the small amount of money we generate to keep the site running smoothly. Any money we do get is not lining the pockets of oligarchs or mad-cap billionaires dictating what our journalists are allowed to think and write, or hungry shareholders. We know times are tough, and we want to continue bringing you news on the most interesting releases, the latest gigs and anything else that tickles our fancy. We are not driven by profit, just pure enthusiasm for a scene that each and every one of us is passionate about.
To us, music and culture are eveything, without them, our very souls shrivel and die. We do not charge artists for the exposure we give them and to many, what we do is absolutely vital. Subscribing to one of our paid tiers takes just a minute, and each sign-up makes a huge impact, helping to keep the flame of independent music burning! Please click the button below to help.
John Robb – Editor in Chief
PLEASE SUBSCRIBE TO LTW
Leave a comment