Tenspeedracer have been noticeably absent from the ‘scene’ for some time now. While their contemporaries remind the public that they’re still alive with regular tours, the Tenspeeds relocated to the wilds of Wexford, locked themselves into a farmhouse and only ventured out for the odd EP release or Witnness appearance. And the time spent away from the glare of Dublin has served them well. The new 10SR is a tighter, grittier and more focused animal than the band we used to know. The brothers Barrett (Dermot, Pat and John) along with Joe Chester and Terry Cullen sound more in tune with each other than ever before.
Opener ‘By My Side’ is a fine statement of intent: a flurry of guitars, a pounding rhythm section and a mantra that segues its way into your inner ear, coming across for all the world like Spritualized playing The Beach Boys. The music, however heavy and sweaty it gets, is lushly layered and never allowed to run away from the melody; the singing is always audible above the din, with enough backing vocals to keep ’60s enthusiasts smiling.
‘Your Demon Heart’ is a majestic, snarling statement of fuckedoffness that refuses to be ignored, a balls-out monster that rocks like a mother for two and a half minutes, and leaves the listener breathless at its end.
On the flipside, ‘Head’, ‘Someday Soon’ and ‘Bring On The Feeling’ are ridiculously catchy three-minute pop songs that seemingly glide along without ever touching the ground, while ‘Wine Morphine’ gets better with each listen. Current seven-inch ‘Fifteen’ is a wonderfully ambiguous melodrama that shouldn’t work on paper but does, and magnificently so. The gorgeous ‘Come Over’, the album’s centrepiece of sorts, fleshes out the sound with colourful swathes of chiming guitar that wouldn’t seem out of place on mid-period REM. Likewise, ‘Nobody Has To Know’, a mid-paced affair which showcases the boys’ more sensitive side. In fact, the only slight letdown is ‘Overcast’, which is a little too alt. country for its own good and even that is bloody good.
Where past efforts often clawed at their true promise, 10SR is the sound of a rock band at last comfortable in their own skin and realising their potential.