When Sons and Daughters first came round our way last year via an Arts Council grant and an obscure US indie label, there was much scratching of heads as to where they fitted in. Then we discovered that they were touring with fellow Glaswegians Franz Ferdinand and, hey presto, there you go – part of at least two scenes, job done thank you very much. Except they weren’t, inhabiting instead their own little dark corner of a world that drew on influences way beyond those currently in vogue.
For the recording of their first full length album the four-piece decided to take themselves even further out of the loop, decamping to the Cologne studio where Kraftwerk recorded ‘Autobhan’ and Ultravox made ‘Vienna’ and returning with something quite spectacular. While most British guitar bands find themselves returning to the cheeky chappy image of yore, Sons And Daughters are darkly stylish – both of look and sound. The German experience has seen them strip their already fairly basic sound down to its bare bones, the as-live recording sessions producing a ferocious whirlwind of guitars and drums, topped off by the intense vocal coupling of Scott Paterson and Adele Bethel.
Yet The Repulsion Box is about more than rehashing punk. The band delve deep into the past, imbuing their songs with an atmosphere that takes in the harsh folk of Cordelia’s Dad, the energy of the Men They Couldn’t Hang, the sheer force of early New Model Army and on ‘Taste The Last Girl’ a touch of Smiths style rockabilly.
It’s so short and sharp that what feels like the record’s epic, ‘Rama Lama’, is in reality only five minutes long. As the name suggests, The Repulsion Box ain’t pretty but rarely has the dark side been quite so attractive.