London alt rock trio SickRichard release their debut LP 'Must Be Something Missing'
- Richard Blowes
- 13 hours ago
- 3 min read
SickRichard blend punk, alt rock, electronica and psychedelia into a stellar stew on their debut album Must Be Something Missing
I was musing with a mate recently on the role of the humble verse in typical pop/rock song structures. Downplayed as simply a way of getting to the all important chorus (or in the case of Nile Rogers and James Brown, the bridge), the verses have to do the heavy lifting of carrying the narrative of the song whilst getting none of the glory.
God Is In The Machine .... powers into angrily analogue, hook filled life and sets the tone for the remainder of the album which incorporates a melodic, restless, roaming energy from influences as diverse as Turnstile, Radiohead, Nirvana and The Psychedelic Furs
This came back to me when I was listening to Crackpot, the lead single from London alt rock/post punk trio SickRichard's debut album Must Be Something Missing. In the second verse they suddenly inject a change of energy and melody; it's like a mini bridge but not in the usual place. It's pleasingly wrong footing and typical of the clever and thoughtful song writing/production touches sprinkled all over this excellent debut album.
Although the band's aim is to bring human connection and emotion to an increasingly tech-driven dystopian world, they choose to start the album opener God Is In The Machine with the mechanical precision of a drum machine. It soon powers into angrily analogue, hook filled life and sets the tone for the remainder of the album which incorporates a melodic, restless, roaming energy from influences as diverse as Turnstile, Radiohead, Nirvana and The Psychedelic Furs.
As the band say "We wanted to make something that subverts how we are subjected to and controlled by tech, social media and disinformation, to express this frustration in our music. It’s dark and sometimes weird, but it’s human. That’s the point. It's like a reminder we made for ourselves. It seems easy to sit, accept and scroll. We feel better when we make noise and connect.”
Second track Drain is the standout track of the album, opening with a trance adjacent synth line before delivering the best chorus Nirvana never wrote. It feels like they chucked everything they had at this track and it works. The aforementioned Crackpot maintains the standard before, for this reviewer, there's something of a mid album dip with Nothing Is Easy and In The Dark. This is measured against a high bar mind, however they feel a wee bit like rock by numbers.
The album's longest track Eyes sees the return of synths and a more post punk sound; it feels like the band are stretching out into looser, slightly psychedelic territory which seems to suit them more than a straight up guitar attack. Someone continues in this vein with a strong motorik beat and a more hopeful tone before a cover of Placebo's Pure Morning concludes the album and a strong closing trifecta of tracks. It's worth noting that their own songwriting lacks for nothing in comparison with the behemoths of outsider alt rock - this is a debut album of punchy prowess and confidence.
Standout tracks: Drain, Crackpot
Gas mark: 7.5/10
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