West Wickhams are described as “a psychedelique Noir Deux piece, hailing from Tresco on the Isles of Scilly” although they have since relocated to Richmond, Surrey. This is their debut EP and I was conflicted when I first hit ‘Play’.
One side of my brain was screaming “You might as well dig out your old Pornography!” (the album by The Cure, that is, not some sleazy old razz mag) “…or perhaps even more accurately, Faith!”
The other side was trying hard to concentrate and not succumb to such lazy journalism. I mean, sure, there definitely is a major nod in Smith and co’s direction, but if you pay attention, there’s a whole wealth of other comparisons you can level at Consider Her Way.
Not least track two, ‘Les Mepris (Underwater)‘, which has the kind of minimalist instrumentation that aligns West Wickhams more with the likes of The Au Pairs, with just a hint of The Jesus And Mary Chain in there too.
My personal favourite track on this ace EP is probably the moody, dreamy ‘This Circus Is Over‘ which, like everything else on Consider Her Way, is unashamedly post-punk noise pop. ‘Zap Gun‘ continues the dreamscape theme, this time more nightmarishly. Think ‘Charlotte Sometimes‘ if it were being performed by early nineties Coventry cult legends Adorable. It’s utterly irresistible to be fair, yet it somehow seems kind of illicit at the same time, which is perhaps why it feels so exciting.
‘Turning Into Someone Else‘ on the other hand, essentially an extension of ‘This Circus Is Over‘, begins like a clock ticking as the listener descends from the drug-addled high provided by this intoxicating EP.
Mark down the names Jon Othello and Elle Flores in your notepad. This is a duo who demand to be heard. They ought to be huge.
