Cotton Crown

With their early singles and 2023 debut LP, Dead Meat, London-based band the Tubs put together a sound unlike many of their contemporaries. The songs were fast but clean; punk in terms of tempos and lyrical themes of frustration but with sharp, jangly performances instead of fuzzy abandon. Perhaps what stood out most about the Tubs was the unambiguous influence of U.K. folk-rock. Vocalist Owen Williams steady, metered singing conveys some of the same weightiness and ache of Richard Thompson in his Fairport Convention days, serious and slightly melancholy even when shouting over a pub rock instrumental. The bands second album, Cotton Crown, doesnt deviate too much from the unique sound they established on the first record, but it sharpens certain details. The overall production is a few shades clearer than Dead Meat, and the more intricate guitar parts in particular stand out. Sprightly pop tunes like "Narcissist" and "The Thing Is" are heavy on crisp, Johnny Marr-esque guitar leads and the supportive jangle of layered acoustic guitars. On these songs and the jumpy "Freak Mode," the Tubs land somewhere between the peppy gloom of the Smiths, the impatient pop of Husker Du, and the sad longing that bands like the Field Mice or Felt translated into guitar hooks so well. On several songs, Lan McCardle reprises the guest vocalist role she played on Dead Meat, and her airy voice punctuates the lightning-fast changes in arrangements. Cotton Crown starts out in high gear and occasionally ramps things up even further. "Chain Reaction" rips out of the gate and never slows down, with the bands U.K. folk jangle momentarily morphing into redlined pub punk reminiscent of Royal Headache. Closing track "Strange" drives home how much more sophisticated the band has grown, spending the albums final few moments in sentimental reflection with one of its most thoughtful and dynamic instrumental compositions. The steps forward on Cotton Crown are subtle but undeniable, with the Tubs vision growing clearer through these increasingly enjoyable and well-crafted songs. ~ Fred Thomas