Everybody’s Dying to Meet You is Flowers second album release, following their 2014 debut, and Bernard Butler produced Do What You Want To, It’s What You Should Do.
For the uninitiated, Flowers are a London based indie trio comprising of Rachel Kenedy on vocals, Same Ayres on guitars, and Jordan Hockley on drums, and have an almost nostalgic sound from the 90’s indie scene. Rachel’s voice however wouldn’t be out of place on Songs of Praise, with its almost pure, choral quality and the backing band give off a distinctive Cocteau’s whiff.
Don’t however think the overall effect is at all tweet or fragile, because these guys can rock in their own way too, and a couple of plays in reveal a certain muscularity.
The album opens with the ridiculously catchy Pull My Arm, which starts with the vocals at such a pitch that local dogs' ears pricked up (don’t even try singing along lads), before the jangly guitars and aforementioned muscularity fills out the sound. That’s the way to open an album.
The following track, Bitter Pill, showcases Rachels, fragile crystal clear vocals fabulously - you might wonder if this sound could ever be replicated in a live venue ? Well, when I saw them at The Brudenell in Leeds a while back, the answer was yes, and the crowd were so mesmerised, you could hear a pin drop.
Ego Loss almost has a touch of Echobelly about it, certainly the vocals again have me thinking about Sonya Madan’s style.
Russian Doll introduces the listener to some subtle keyboards, just to add a little OMD into the mix and another layer and dimension to the sound which is a nice touch.
Bathroom Sink closes this delightful album, which again opens with just the delicate vocals, before the distorted guitar adds atmosphere and heft.
This is a step on from the debut, despite not leaving the template too far behind, with 10 assured songs given space to breathe. Another addition to the strong start to 2016.
8/11
Flowers are touring the UK. Next venue is The Prince Albert in Brighton. Tour details on their website.
