ALBUM REVIEW: These Furrows – Treasures

These Furrows enjoyed a successful 2011: basking in considerable airplay from Huw Stephens on Radio 1 and Huey Morgan on Radio 2; joining the likes of General Fiasco, Don Broco, Rise Against and Rizzle Kicks on the BBC Introducing stage at Reading and Leeds; and reveling in mainstream recognition from publications such as Q and Kerrang!

If the 2010 release of Duke was the spark that lit the fuse, then the Leicester 4-piece’s debut album Treasures, due for release June 2012, is the rocket that will propel These Furrows onto bigger stages and mainstream playlists this year.

Treasures transcends genres, gliding seamlessly through post-hardcore, pop-punk and stadium-rock stylings. The quartet, like every other outfit, tout themselves as thoroughly incomparable, but unlike every other band These Furrows back up all the talk with a genuinely unique style and sound. Angular and intricate clean guitar licks supersede waves of distorted power-chord progressions and vice versa, as the boys drift out of larynx-busting hardcore soundscapes and into ethereal interludes in heavier stand-out tracks such as Duke and 3:16 (B-side to the latest single No Invitation, No Welcome).

Meanwhile, Weight In Gold and No Invitation, No Welcome juxtapose jagged syncopated pop-punk verses with stadium-worthy anthemic choruses and undeniably catchy hooks: which proves to be a rather exciting concoction and the perfect platform over which soar signature fragile vocal melodies.

Treasures is just that, a treasure: a gem of an album from a band that could easily explode this year to fill the void left by 3 years with no Biffy Clyro release. Fitting then that mixing came courtesy of Chris Sheldon, the genius behind recent Biffy and Foo Fighters releases: no wonder this album sounds so big!