Recently the North East music scene has arguably given birth to some of the most provocative indie rock bands of our generation – Maxïmo Park and The Futureheads to name but a few. Both bands achieving major success with multiple album releases that reached well into the top twenty album chart. Now takes the turn of a new generation that hope to follow in the footsteps of their predecessors, ladies and gentlemen please step aside for the elusive Little Comets.
Hailing from the small town of Jarrow, the self proclaimed ‘kitchen sink indie’ rockers released their second studio album ‘Life is Elsewhere’ last month. Following their debut album was always going to be an difficult task, such tracks as ‘Adultery’ and ‘Joanna’ provided some of the freshest guitar music the industry has seen in a long while. It was no wonder really that toiletry brand Radox chose to use the rhythmically electric ‘Dancing Song’ in one of their advertising campaigns this summer.
Nonetheless, the new album sounds equally as crisp, colliding tricky percussive rhythms with preppy guitar lines. From the first song ‘A Little Opus’ we become immediately familiar with the well-read guitar riffs that the band have produced before before. However, this time around far more melodic elements have been introduced giving a whole new dimension to the sound of their music.

Lyrically the band has matured immensely, progressing from sing-a-long festival anthems to far more poetic compositions that show a real writing mastery. Notably in the song ‘Violence Out Tonight’, the trio courageously present an evocation of rape, and in doing so create a compellingly beautiful sound which holds real meaning. The lyrics sung by Robert Coles hold so much artistry they wouldn’t look out of place in an Alexander Pope poem.
Personally, the stand out song in the album is ‘Worry’. It essentially throws all of the finest aspects of the band and blends them together producing this melodically jaunty and contagious sound. Coles’ vocals sound echoic of Vampire Weekend, no surprise really that they have been dubbed the British answer to the New York based band.
In kicking aside the expected conventions of modern music, the Little Comets have constructed a remarkably infectious sound that any fan of indie/pop music would find hard turn off. Their dance worthy music is undoubtedly set for big things in the future and this new album is solid effort in the progression of the band. Without sounding biased, coming from a fellow Tynesider, you must give this band a listen.