It seems that some things are just not meant to be. It took Meredith not one, but two, attempts to send their Ep in the direction of SonicAbuse (the first copy going AWOL in the post) and then when the disc did arrive my computer did it’s best to deny its existence. If this had been the case it would have been very much my loss.
Happily, a bit of messing around with the ever-temperamental Windows Media Player got the disc working and, finally, we were able to kick back and enjoy Meredith, a fuzzed up, raucous outpouring of sound from France which sits somewhere on the punk axis between Fugazi’s arty time signatures and Deus’ odd-ball delivery, with a hint of alt rock’s melodic sensibilities thrown in for good measure. It’s a record that harks back to the mid-nineties with its loose, raw feel and solid, live-sounding production job and it will certainly attract those who like their music to be energetic, surprising and passionate.
So, this self-titled EP from Meredith offers a mere four tracks (which pass in the blink of an eye), all of which, remarkably, offer something new and different to enjoy. Thus you get the surging adrenalin rush of the instrumental opener simply entitled ‘intro’, with its awkwardly syncopated riff and layers of burning distortion, all building up to a raging cauldron of noise and phosphorescent spray that dissipates in time for the band to launch into ‘Ocean’. The first track to feature vocals, it’s interesting to note that vocalist/guitarist Fred sounds like a cross between Ian MacKaye and Andy Falcous, and the band deal in a raucous vein of sonically frazzled alternative laden with attitude and cool riffs. Better still (and ‘ocean is pretty darn spectacular) is the brilliantly schizophrenic ‘Sister’ which veers between the stinging assault of Dead Kennedy’s and the restrained ambience of ‘Sandinista’-era Clash, the guitars exploding into life at key points, blinding with their feral ferocity as Fred roars out the vocals. It’s simultaneously familiar to all those of a certain age, and yet wonderfully new at the same time and the band keep you guessing as the final track, Keep breathin’ proves to be a subtle, introspective, rather beautiful number that mixes Deus and Nirvana to brilliant effect.
This is a brilliant debut EP from a very promising band. It has strong hooks, power, precision and a beautifully ragged production that lets the music shine without being too shiny. Meredith are, on the evidence of these four tracks, far more than the sum of their parts and they clearly entertain a wide range of influences, assimilating each of them and spitting out a fiery alternative sound that has a strong sense of its own identity from the get go. A fuzzy, genuinely exciting band, you can download the EP for free from Bandcamp (see link below) meaning that you simply have no excuse at all not to at least give the band a chance – trust us on this, one spin and you’ll be hooked.
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