{"id":69031,"date":"2018-09-05T15:00:03","date_gmt":"2018-09-05T14:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/?p=69031"},"modified":"2023-01-20T16:05:33","modified_gmt":"2023-01-20T16:05:33","slug":"review-boston-manor-welcome-to-the-neighbourhood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alreadyheard.com\/staging\/review-boston-manor-welcome-to-the-neighbourhood\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: Boston Manor – Welcome to the Neighbourhood"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BostonThe signs of Boston Manor<\/strong><\/a> disconnecting from the pop-punk scene they’ve mistakenly been associated with have existed for quite some time. 2016’s ‘Be Nothing.<\/a>‘<\/em> is evidence of that, proving to be a stirring set of songs that flourished with consistency, and resulted in one of the best debuts in recent memory.\u00a0Now with\u00a0‘Welcome to the Neighbourhood’<\/em>, album number two is an intriguing, but rewarding, return that sees the quintet go to places you’d never thought they would.<\/p>\n

From the outset, bleak, brooding instrumentation sets the dark tone that dominates\u00a0‘<\/em>Welcome to the Neighbourhood’. With a “fictionalised” version of Blackpool serving as it’s narrative spine, ‘WttN’<\/em> sees Boston Manor<\/strong> explore the harsh reality their hometown provides. Trapped by the frustrations that has embedded the seaside town, Boston Manor<\/strong> provides a heavy dose of reality with fantastic results.\u00a0“<\/em>I\u2019m a victim of an old regime,”<\/em> states Henry Cox on ‘Flowers In Your Dustbin’,<\/em> while he takes on unemployment (‘Funeral Party’<\/em>), drug addiction (‘Halo’<\/em>) and more throughout.<\/p>\n

Stylistically, they take subtle risks such as using electronic synths (‘Stick Up’<\/em> and\u00a0‘Flowers In Your Dustbin’<\/em>) yet they pay off as it adds to the musical texture and consistency that ‘WttN’ offers. Ultimately specialising in angst-driven melodic rock, songs such as ‘England’s Dreaming’<\/em> and ‘Tunnel Vision’<\/em> compliment the heavy, gritty lyricism with sharp execution. Throughout there is an intensity in their performance, harnessing the authenticity of what Cox is singing or screaming about.<\/p>\n