Formed in Dublin three years back, Cold Comfort have left their debut slow-cooking until now. Blending blues, folk and hard rock, the result is an album that tastes both rich and warm.
Shifting between genres is commonplace on debut records and this album is no exception. It’s the effective delivery of each style that makes Tainted Winds so charming. ‘Aces Falling’ strums along harmonically, before shifting into a higher gear with a kind of ’70s power. Indeed, there’s a tinge of Zeppelin on every track and it serves Rob Walsh’s vocals perfectly.
It’s clear the band work on their lyrics: ‘Love Pains’ is impressively poetic, embracing a spoken word style effectively. ‘When Love Grew Wild’, meantime, bears an uncanny resemblance to the One Direction chart-topper ‘Story Of My Life’ - but we won’t hold that against them. The band’s live potential is apparent throughout: of the 10 tracks here, most are obvious concert contenders.
In sum, this first outing from Cold Comfort is fun. On this showing, they’ll be an excellent addition to next year’s festival bills.
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