The History Of Apple Pie - Feel Something

Reviewer: Tom Walters

Released: 29th September 2014

Label: Marshall Teller

With a full-length record already behind The History Of Apple Pie, questions are once again those typical of a second effort: is it better than the first? Is there some sort of progression, or is it more of the same? With ‘Out of View’ placing itself nicely at Number Two in the UK Record Store Chart, The History of Apple Pie have slightly weightier expectations than most other bands in their scene. Getting guitarist Jerome Watson back in on production and engineering duties could be seen as a safe move in a genre that needs excitement, but there’s definitely something here that sets the five-piece out from the rest. In the end though, there’s just not enough of it.

Joshua Third of The Horrors and Charles Reeve also contribute their skills as producers, which mixes things up in places for sure. The band have also marginally diversified their sound, opting this time to go for the long, jangly riffs of ‘90s indie (‘Come Undone’) and songs that verge on psych-pop (‘Jamais Vu’). There’s even a bit of Britpop in the mix, and credit where credit’s due to the band - every track is taut and tight with shimmering guitar lines and pitch-perfect vocals. But that’s the thing. Clearly well rehearsed, the finished product feels a bit too squeaky-clean and could definitely do with being a bit rougher overall. This is a band who made a statement as an exciting part of London’s thriving DIY scene, but that prickly edge seems to have diminished somewhere down the line.

‘Keep Wondering’ is an ace example of where they get the balance just right. Steph Min’s daydreamy vocals gently wash over a sea of shredding guitars and pounding drums that features the occasional, spontaneous-sounding solo and upbeat, plodding keys. It pushes their firmly established sound in new directions. There are other moments throughout the album’s forty minute runtime that excite - the uproarious trumpets in‘Ordinary Boy’, for example. Ultimately though, it’s nice enough to pass the time with, but certainly not a staple record worth revisiting time and time again. The History of Apple Pie have the talent and the means, they just need to push the elements that make them stand out to their furthest boundaries.

Tags: Album Reviews, Reviews, Marshall Teller, The History Of Apple Pie