single of the week ~ shark week ~ 'the mice'

After nearly three months left in the wilderness of the Northern Irish indie-rock scene, Antrim's most promising prodigal sons of rock and roll have slowly began to reemerge from their temporary hiatus to reclaim the hype left in their exciting wake. Expectation was high for the bands latest EP 'Dumo', the psychedelic follow up to their much talked about debut, but amidst an unfortunate build up of working commitments, higher education and abandoned recording sessions 'Dumo' was never fully released. Now though, armed with a new set of water tight covers and a revitalised  sound, Shark Week are back on the gigging circuit. Through the cloud of uncertainty that followed that hectic initial period however, came the release of two new tracks from the 'Dumo' sessions, 'Bedtime' and the anthemic 'The Mice', the latter of which we felt couldn't be overlooked as our 'Track of the Week'. Taylor Johnson had a listen...

Opening as serenely as they don't mean to go on, 'The Mice' fades into life as nonchalantly as a band in rehearsal for  a non-existent gig. Yet it's this relaxed demeanor, and the resulting relaxed vibes which follows, that set Shark Week apart from their contemporaries. They don't need an all guns blazing introduction to capture an audience, rather it's this hypnotic effect which immediately drags you into proceedings. The Pixies styled bass line executed by Andrew Burns drives the beat of the song forward, perfectly complimenting the palm muted reverb of  front-man Milo Dunn-Clarke's lead guitar. Dunn-Clarke's unique vocal delivery is also brilliantly utilised, guiding the songs complex lyricism and grunge tinged arrangement to it's now trademark  breakdown of thunderous drums and White Stripes-esque guitar work.

As the track continues, the engaging rhythms and evocative progressions which gave the intro it's spark never once threatens to fade out, instead only growing in stature. Which leads to the next explosion of sound. Rounding off the verses with the passion filled precision of a 'Aha Shake Heartbreak' era Kings of Leon, Dunn-Clarke rattles out the final verse of 'even you must see the demise..." before the entire tangent of the track is ripped apart and replaced with the organised chaos of a band in full flow. A quick build up from the impeccable Timmy Burns acts as the interlude for some terrifyingly impressive guitar solos, as Shark Week continue to step up the tempo of a track clearly created with the artistic merit of a band with nothing to prove but everything to gain. Fading out with a slightly slowed, but none the less impressive crescendo of roaring feedback and dynamic riffs, "The Mice" could well be the track that pushes Shark Week out of the underground and in to the mainstream. As long as they want it to.

Based on this evidence, it's utterly perplexing to think why Shark Week aren't yet one of the biggest names of the local music scene.

Taylor Johnson.

If You Like; Sonic Youth, Pixies, Kings Of Leon (early years) ~ You'll Love Shark Week.

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