Trust Fund - Seems Unfair

Following in the footsteps of fellow football-referencing indie sweethearts Belle and Sebastian, it’s two albums in the same year for Trust Fund. For a songwriter that finds influence in the most normal and human of places, it’s not really surprising to learn that ‘Seems Unfair’ had been penned before February’s ‘No one’s coming for us’ had even been released.

With its charm, scrappy naivety and, most notably, honesty, Ellis Jones’ early solo work under the guise quite naturally earned fans amongst the DIY scene in his native Bristol, and despite a full-length coming out through Turnstile, the self-produced and self-recorded debut still felt very much like a product of those roots. Whilst Jones’ enthusiasm for DIY (he’s writing his PHD on the subject right now) will no doubt continue to inform much of Trust Fund’s work, ‘Seems Unfair’ feels like a rather more distinctive step forward for this band with a fullness that comes along with the relative studio sheen.

Honesty remains intact in droves on ‘Seems Unfair’; nothing has been diluted, with Trust Fund producing yet another collection that drips with sincerity. It’s full of clever quips – both heartfelt and witty – creating a narrative that puts both a reflective and uplifting slant on often-shitty realities. “But for now we’re dreaming, there will be time to find the failings” sings Jones on ‘4th August’, and this is a record that sums up that thinking rather nicely. It’s a weird kind of temporary escapism that comes through confronting problems head on, and allows whatever troubles you’re facing to feel like a lighter load come the album’s close.