The Tubs: Dead Meat [Album Review]

by

The Tubs
Dead Meat
Trouble In Mind Records [2023]

London group The Tubs formed in 2018 after the dissolvement of UK post-punk band Joanna Gruesome by former members Owen ‘O’ Williams and George ‘GN’ Nicholls. Their debut, Dead Meat, finds the group leaving most of that early post-punk distortion behind and embracing a classic British folk guitar sound that engages the listener with a feverish approach and rocked up delivery.

The most catchy part of this album is O Williams lead vocals as they sound like a young Bob Mould or Richard Thompson with their fire in the belly type of delivery. That energy is infectious as the band’s melodic pop within these 9 punchy tracks fits like a glove and pulls you into each and every lyric. With mental illness being a recurrent topic, Dead Meat is not a PSA but rather just a look at the challenges someone may be having with this medical condition.

The Tubs have released a very tight and classic sounding British record. They also don’t totally forget their resume as songs like “That’s Fine” and “Illusion Pt. 2” feature some post-punk openings with the lead guitar that gives the songs a unique grit. Dead Meat has a tension in every track that always feels like it could boil over as the burning guitar lines are laid down right beside the passionate vocal delivery. When you add this in with memorable choruses and natural sounding tempo changes, Dead Meat succeeds with sonic fireworks around every corner.

KEY TRACKS
“Illusion Pt. 2” / “Dead Meat” / “That’s Fine”

ARTISTS WITH SIMILAR FIRE
Bob Mould / Frightened Rabbit / Richard Thompson

THE TUBS LINKS
Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp | Trouble In Mind Records

Thomas Wilde
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