This week saw the release of Everyone to the Anderson’s debut album, intriguingly titled The Man Born From Inside of a Horse. The band’s story so far is nothing too out of the ordinary – three guys, releasing a handful of well-received E.Ps, packing themselves into the back of a beaten up Nissan Micra, and then heading off to slog it out playing DIY shows across the width and breadth of the UK.
Just over a year ago, the trio locked themselves away in a disused industrial unit on the outskirts of
Brighton to piece together the songs for their first full-length release. From this unassuming location, the
band have emerged, kicking and screaming, with just under half-an-hour of the heaviest, catchiest post-
hardcore you’ll hear in 2011. Super tight riffs? Check. Dancey middle-eights? Check. Cowbell? You better
believe it, pal.
The album kicks off with High Brow, Low Brow, No Eye Brow, 2 ½ minutes jam-packed full of fiddly guitar riffs, rolling basslines and pounding drums. It’s one hell of an opener and left quite an impression on me. Benjamin Gregory’s vocals might produce a bit of a ‘marmite effect’ with some listeners, given how often we’re subjected to UK bands adopting faux American accents. But here they’re loud, direct and unashamedly British. And it works damn well.
When someone describes a song to me as being both heavy and melodic, often what they meant to say
was ‘…there’s a quieter bit crow-barred into this’. But The Man Born From Inside of a Horse manages to balance the two perfectly; whether it’s the utterly addictive guitar line at the start of Computermen, the head-bobbing break-downs in People Person or the mind-boggling drum fills in Knuckle Supper. For a lot of bands it’s the holy grail: a heady mixture of pop sensibility, the D.I.Y spirit and good, old-fashioned rock ‘n roll. Here is where Everyone to the Anderson flourish, succeeding where so many British rock bands have floundered.
The songs have been masterfully recorded. There’s a slightly gritty quality to the whole record, without
wandering into ‘lo-fi’ territory. Texturally, there are some interesting touches hidden amongst this racket.
An added chorus effect to a vocal take. Maybe a flourish of delay pedal here and there. But they’re always
used sparingly, so you might not realise it the first time round. It’s another reason I found this album to be
so rewarding on repeat listens – the little moments of quirky, left-field genius.
The Man Born From Inside of a Horse is lesson in why you should never judge a book by its cover (…or an
album by its title). It’s a record that needs to be played on full volume. Or better yet, experienced live.
Put simply, it’s an unexpected masterpiece. Keep an eye and an ear out for this band.
[Rating: 4.5]
everyonetotheandersonmusic.bandcamp.com
Everyone To The Anderson – So You’re Saying There’s A Chance by Undress To Win Press
