Hair Traffic Control – Let’s Do Lunch

The UK has a habit of throwing up some really good math inspired, quick fire guitar wielding indie bands you know like This Town Needs Guns, Meet Me In St. Louis and even Dananananaykroyd. Labels like Holy Roar and Big Scary Monsters have been dropping this stuff for some time now and there has always been plenty of smaller bands around doing good things, I mean just go a check out Pennines, Tubelord and now Hair Traffic Control. They all vaguely have this slightly manic, melodic style of guitar playing; throwing out jagged twisting tapped out shapes that echo hardcore, math, post-rock and good old indie pop all at once.

Let’s Do Lunch is a brand new EP from unsigned three-piece Hair Traffic Control, it’s four tracks of melodic techy indie with a slightly heavy edge. ‘The Hobo Gauntlet’ kicks off the EP in rapid-fire style with tapped out arpeggio guitar melodies and jazzy drum motifs, it’s got a nice energy to it these guys can rock. On track two the beat-boxing intro that uses the title ‘Boots and Cats’ as a percussive device is a nice touch, its also one of the EP’s highlights. The poppy, melodic and even dramatic side of HTC comes through here, they really build from melodic to a full on energy rush.

The instrumental track ‘These Are The Dogs In My Life Part 2’ is another cracker and carries on the energy from the last track really well. There is a strange thrashed out Balkan skank vibe to it somehow, it makes me want to put on a poncho and dance. There is something about parts of ‘The Last Man Irkutsk’ that reminds me of a spaced out Weezer I think it’s the melody that does it but they add a lot more in the way of freaked out post-rock soundscape and twisting turning sections to the track, its just the hook that gives off that vibe and it works a treat.

Hair Traffic Control are a quality band that should be booked on bills and listened to with ears.

http://www.myspace.com/hairtrafficcontrol