Loom – Lice EP

Sibling rivalry in the public eye often sees one obvious superior embarrassingly out-trump the efforts of the other, in terms of wealth, success and talent; Just look at the Baldwins, the Deschanels, the Francos (In that case it’s almost a tie. A genetically impossible, beautiful, beautiful tie…) So when Tarik Badwan made an entrance with his five piece band, Loom, inevitable glances were thrown at his older, Horrors-fronting brother and questions were asked: Would it be an ill conceived grab at a shred of his success? Would it stand on its own merits? Would it actually be any good?

The answers to these respective questions weren’t to be found entirely in the glimmers of flair from their slightly slapdash debut EP, Bleed On Me, but that’s alright because it was exclusively available on cassette tape so you probably didn’t hear it anyway. It was followed by the much more inviting, thigh tingling rush of single “I Get a Taste” back in March, and now these sick puppies are back with a new EP, Lice.

The title track does, admittedly, recall the early brooding tone of The Horrors, but when the grungy pounding of the Melvins-esque chorus kicks in it’s a clear marker of where the young Badwans must have split their record collection. The frenetic punk riffs and snotty teenage diary lyrics of “Salt” are a total joy while “Get a Taste” has been given a bit of a spit and polish but still has the great chugging energy and standout riffs that brought these boys to our attention. “Acid King City” is a garage rock treat, topped off with a blistering cover of The Jesus Lizard’s “Seasick”- a howling, guttural homage that could very convincingly be their own.

What has evidently happened from their debut effort to now is the obvious evolution of a young band, honing their strengths, refining their influences and finding the importance of an amazing hook. It is essentially a far more realised release. The dirgey fuzz of Bleed On Me has been filtered through a sound much more accessible without sacrificing any of its edge and is undoubtedly elevated further by Tarik himself, who makes his presence felt whether via ominous croons or shrieks from the depths of his boots, emanating charisma with every snarl. This is riff-abundant, Iggy-fuelled garage punk, perhaps light on premise but heavy on kicks.

Without the campy goth of his older brother’s earlier incarnation but with equal parts enthusiasm, Lice is textbook 90′s and subsequently feels very Of The Moment, invoking visions of sweat-drenched basement clubs, flannel shirts and greasy headbanging. The leather-wearing, doe-eyed five piece may not be as grotty as they clearly want to sound, but they are curiously likeable.

Reports of Loom’s live performances mark them as strutting, brawling troublemakers. Listening to Lice and hearing a band play with such audible, keen ferocity you can sense their spirited youthful antagonism and the sound of a band with a knife between their teeth and a point they’re busting to prove. Though Tarik Badwan will surely baulk at the endless comparisons and the use of his brother as a benchmark, something special obviously runs in the Badwan blood. By the sounds of Lice, Tarik’s forging an identity on his own terms and to answer those original questions respectively: No; Yes; And Yes, it’s very good. Lice promises they’ll soon be great.