Repomen - Headlines EP

Phantom Power post-new wave faves RepoMen are back with an Autumn offensive in the shape of this brand-spanking new Alan Smyth-produced 4-track EP. Their first release for the Phantom since last year’s highly acclaimed “Parallel Schizophrenic” EP. And once again the Sheffield-based quartet come up with the goods. Gone are the breezy pop tunes replaced by an all together darker, more weighty sound and subject matter to match.

Lead track “Headlines” may begin in melancholic manner but 30 seconds in it soars into a trumpet- laden, cello and violin-driven crescendo, reminiscent of Arcade Fire and Spiritualized. It’s the band’s most ambitious track to date and tells the story of Neda Agha Soltani, the unwilling figurehead of Iran’s 2009 election revolutions. Next up, “Flicker” takes us over to the US-Mexican border mixing urgent guitars and edgy verses that give way to a subversively sweet chorus. But it’s not finished there – cue haunting piano and mournful Mariachi trumpet that take the song off in another direction; a post-Nirvana strum morphing into Calexico. Third track “What we do” is the catchiest of the bunch with its quick-fire vocals and organ stabs driving this tale of state repression (by a certain south-east Asian regime) along at break-neck speed. Final track “Feed me” is an altogether more experimental track with its seeping feedback and mantra like vocals. iTunes features two bonus tracks: a cracking live version of “Parallel Schizophrenic” and a BBC session version of Magazine’s “A song from under the floorboards” endorsed by none other than the band's keys-man Dave Formula (‘Nice take on the song - rhythm works well and I like the vocal delivery’).

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