After releasing the Gradient EP in 2014, a debut LP has been a long time coming from The Creases. While the Brisbane foursome’s first release was a propulsive blend of post punk and shoegaze, debut album Tremolow is a brighter, brasher record.
The first evidence of The Creases’ evolution came in 2015 with the single ‘Point’ (featured on the second side of Tremolow). The mix of chiming guitars and a wash of synths gave an early sign to the new direction. It’s ‘Impact’ that outright pronounces the band’s renewal – its anthemic chorus and jubilant use of horns show a swagger unlike anything The Creases have released previously.
Tremolow has to be one of the early contenders for the soundtrack to summer.
Using the standard guitar-bass-drums trio as the foundation, each song gets extra vibrancy from the embellishments made with strings (‘Is It Love’), synths (‘Everybody Knows’) and horns (‘Were Young’). It belies a far poppier sensibility than the band’s first offering.
Undoubtedly, the album owes a lot to Britpop. From the snarl of ‘Everybody Knows’ to the jangle of ‘At Last You Find’ and the lackadaisicalness of ‘In My Car’, it’s written large and without parody or plagiarism. But the high quality of the songs is undeniable, and indisputably the sound of The Creases.
Tremolow has to be one of the early contenders for the soundtrack to summer. It radiates. It’s a triumph.
The Creases’ debut album Tremolow is available now through Liberation Music.
