Penfold

Already signed to Signal Flow Records, Scottish alternative rock band Penfold are doing quite well for themselves so far to say the least. After touring Scotland last summer and having been dealt their fair share of radio play time, their next step was to release the single Exactly How It Happened.

The single's title track Exactly How It Happened was my favourite of these two tracks. This song opens with a distorted, catchy little chord progression (which could easily compared with a lot of the guitar work from The Manic Street Preachers album Journal For Plague Lovers. The rhythm guitar then drops out, leaving lead guitar, drums and vocals. What first strikes me about Thomas Fraser's vocals is their prominence at this point, with the first words of this song being BANG BANG on the door again, he ensures every word he sings is heard loud and clear. The first person I compared these vocals to in my mind was Simon Neil, and not just for the evident Scottish accent, but the passion behind his vocals. The piece erupts into the chorus at 0:58, introducing backing vocals from another band member. Another verse and chorus follows, bringing the piece to an end in under three minutes. The aspect of this recording I liked most was the raw energy behind the music, it hadn't been over-produced, and the band sounded as exciting as I imagine they sound live.

After the title track, we're treated to an acoustic number called And The Beast, and it's very different indeed to the A-side of the single, highlighted by the lead vocalist role being passed to Drummer (Liam Innes), with guitarist (Steven Dunsmore) replacing him on the drums. It's fair to say the band are very capable are adapting to new roles in the band as they sound very much capable of performing in this set-up. This track has a much more pop-like feel to it, making use of the acoustic guitar's softer timbre. There's a little more reverb on the vocals in this track, making it sound much more ambient and gentle. My favourite part of this song is the vocal break at 1:04, the band make very good use of different textures in this piece, and it's reassuring to see they can confidently write good music in both genres used in this single.

I look forward to hearing future releases from this band, and would recomend that anybody reading this goes to see them live given the opportunity.
Matt Hensley

For fans of:
- Reuben
- Biffy Clyro
- The Xcerts
- Twin Atlantic - Indie Mix Reviews

Penfold is a band I hadn’t heard before, which is always nice for going in for a review with an open mind.

The intro noises etc fell a little rushed, the sound is clearly quite polished but fells a little bit too digital, which kind of takes away from the punk feel.

There are some good parts but throughout it’s hard to warm to, the hooks in the verse are great, but the chorus doesn’t quite match up.

In all honesty b-side ‘And The Beast’ is a much better track, it has a much more natural sound with some great interplay between the vocal and lead guitars and great backing vocals too.

The groove of the drums and rhythm guitar linking together keeps the track being pulled forward and keeps the slow energy going.

The track’s natural build from acoustic guitar to full band comes in at just the right time and gives it a great emotional push to coincide with the personal lyrical theme; ‘And The Beast’ all together sounds more authentic.

Penfold seem like a band that can write great tracks, but here the b-side is a far better composed and executed track, I’d love to hear an album worth of tracks like this. - Rave Child