Despite being only two-strong, 2:54 don’t half make a racket. On their debut EP Scarlet, sisters Colette and Hannah Thurlow bring together two opposing ends of the musical spectrum – fine, delicate spirals of melody is introduced to thrumming, bruising walls of sound. It’s a dramatic mix that not only marks the pair out as definite ones to watch over the coming months but also places this record as one of the best to be released this year.
Produced by PJ Harvey-collaborator Rob Ellis, it’s perhaps no surprise that comparisons to the Mercury winning icon come thick and fast; there’s certainly elements of her present in the title track and ‘Got A Hold’ but there’s so much more to these girls than merely aping the women that have come before them. After all, this is a band named after their favourite moment in a Melvins song and that grungy, stoner rock sound permeates the EP with a bleak brutality.
Scarlet might be one of the most exciting records of 2011 but that doesn’t mean it’s in any way glowing with positivity. Each track is moody, brimming with the right amount of angst and gloom – even on ‘Got A Hold’ when the woahs and wails are in full flow – but it’s closer ‘Dawn’ that really nails this combination. More understated and melancholy than its three preceding tracks, its stings with a swirling claustrophobia that brings 2:54’s tour buddies Warpaint to mind.
A progression from early tracks like ‘On A Wire’, Scarlet shows 2:54 as an uncompromising, thrilling force for the future, and ones not to be ignored.
Release date: Out now
[Rating:4.5]
