It’s the understated self-assurance that first strikes you about The Belles. There’s a soothing quality to the way in which each track is allowed space to develop and time to breathe. So it comes as no surprise that singer, guitarist and songwriter Christopher Tolle and percussionist Jake Cardwell hail from the rolling plains and open air of Kansas, USA. The freedom they give their songs is augmented by the two-man approach that never over-complicates although it can sometimes sound a little bare and one-dimensional.
Both Neil Young and Neil Finn are identified by the pair as being among their influences; add Evan Dando, Grandaddy and even (bizarrely) a mellow Dave Grohl and you’ve some idea where The Belles are coming from and headed for. The debut single ‘(Who Will Be) Here To Hear?’ and ‘Never Said Anything’ provide the highs but in truth it’s hard to find any lows – there’s just that nagging suspicion that another voice or pair of hands would add flesh where all the space and time in Kansas cannot.
The album title Omertá refers to the Sicilian code of silence that was relied upon so heavily by early Mafioso, but don’t expect The Belles to stay underground for that long.