There’s more than one act working under the name of Greenhouse. This particular model was constructed in Denton, Texas, far away in the US of A, and they have just released their first album – Never Look Back. The Instagram print on the cover, together with the band’s name and the title written in a very simple font, sets the scene to combine and contrast the old with the new. The visual juxtaposition of styles on the sleeve in many ways feeds through into the musical contents of the disc itself. Thus there is a certain irony in it being called ‘Never look back’ as there are clear perspectives on the past which are neatly conjugated with a very modern vision. The outcome is a solid and self-confident piece of work that has a certain timeless air about it.
In essence it’s electronic music but there are contemporary facets about the guitar work and singing that clearly place it in the now rather than the then. The album has eleven tracks and embarks on its journey with the incongruously titled ‘Halloween’. It’s not evident there is anything ghostly about this very catchy instrumental but it showcases incisive use of guitars while also being a soothing and becalming intro. Indeed there is a considerable ambience about the whole record and it’s the kind of thing you could listen to either thrashing down the motorway in your car or in a herbally distorted room with the lights out and just a lava lamp for company!
There are only two participants in this outfit, Ryan Torres and Rex Hudson, and they share synths and guitars between them with Ryan doing honours on the drumsticks. Some of the vocals are a little far down in the mix and overall the instrumental elements are stronger than the lyrical. ‘Never look back’ the second track actually confounds this claim by offering the best and cleanest lyrics of them all. ‘Friends don’t last forever’ employs some nice discordant structures to keep the ears from becoming flabby but the longest track on the album, ‘Dark matter is what matters on a rainy day’, is conclusive evidence that when this guys find a good groove they fly down it like a slalom. The song sparkles along with an animated clarity that behoves them to pursue this direction with further releases.
The song segues through thunder and lightening effects into a daydream passage entitled ‘Interlude’ which emerges into ‘The better house’. This is a hypnotic synth-swirling piece pumped along by sturdy drum beats and nourished by melodic trills that add a kind of techno-prettiness to its advantage. ‘All too common’ isn’t just chilled, it’s positively glacial. High notes on the guitar are commonplace throughout this album and they work particularly well on this cut where they glitter like icicles from start to finish. The penultimate ‘Pity party’ is an example where the lyrics actually outweigh the music. Then again the title gives it away a bit. Mind there are some nifty lines, such as nothing means that much to me as I’m a pity party VIP and it does end with an idiosyncratic shout of hooray – perhaps optimism overcoming adversity.
Undoubtedly they’ve saved the best ‘til last and the final track has a lovely feel to it with the richest sound on the album by far, and hopefully an overture for the follow up. Whether it was last by chance or design it displays an integrity and maturity that sets it apart. It’s a fine conclusion to a fine beginning from these young Americans. Essentially this album is going to be about personal preference and will feel different dependent upon what circumstances and how you approach it on any particular day. One thing’s for sure, the buds of promise have appeared and in this greenhouse they should certainly bear fruit.
Review by Peter Heydon
Check out Greenhouse!
http://globegaragerecords.bandcamp.com/album/never-look-back
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