Cymbals - Like An Animal

In the last two years, Cymbals have quickly garnered the attention of all the right people. From supporting Temper Trap to being paraded around national radio playlists, this friendly four piece are unostentatiously making a name for themselves. With largely mixed feedback on their 2011 debut ‘Unlearn’, they have been finding it hard to clamber out of the ‘mostly good’ bracket people have reluctantly placed them in. The genuine sincerity of their music has encouraged others to applaud their potential efforts rather than their proven ones. Within the short period of time they have been together Cymbals have certainly accomplished a lot whilst still finding their feet on the musical ladder. Talent is something that this outfit are certainly full of so with this new release, our eyes have been locked on tight to see if they will deliver.

Uneasily, ‘Like An Animal’ unfolds like a dirty pre-looped, European dance track but it quickly falls into place once their hallmarked, clean-picking style scares away any doubts. Unbeknownst to most, a violin lines the feet of the music which instantly protects it from stepping into that bear-trap labelled ‘indie-pop’. Punchy vocals interplay well with the main body of the song and combining gentle synths with a healthy bass the track slowly opens up to reveal a slightly different side to the band. A slab of reverb creates a curtain between them and the listener, which means alternating sounds and minute effects quickly appear then disappear to only collectively remerge for the last three minutes of this nine-minute player. ‘Like An Animal’ has enough movement and time to engineer a slightly moodier atmosphere, which makes a start at providing the depth they’ve previously been criticised for lacking.

Although we are still coming off the high that was their previous energetic EP, ‘Sideways, Sometimes’, this new release is a lot more relevant to what we hope (think) will be the future sound of Cymbals. It differs from the ‘cute-synth pop’ marker they have been plastered with; and no band made up of grown men, no matter how innocent-looking, want to be labelled as cute, do they? In truth, all indications show that their music can only improve exponentially over the coming months. Cymbals still have much more to offer – they have simply provided us with an entreé, we have to sit tight in the safe knowledge that the main meal will be served up to us on a large and exciting platter.