Pharaohs - We’ve Tried Nothing And We’re All Out Of Ideas

Oxford four-piece Pharaohs have been together for little under a year in their current line up of Johnny Lewis, Joe Steven (guitars/vocals), Josh Marsh (bass) and Rob Leary (drums); they changed their name from HPR after the departure of a member during the Summer. The band formed last December, and have been making a name for themselves since, getting a considerable amount of support from such radio luminaries as Steve Lamacq and Huw Stephens. Having built themselves up very well indeed, things really should pick up for them with the release of their debut EP, the ironically-titled ‘We’ve Tried Nothing And We’re All Out Of Ideas’.

Their sound should definitely appeal to fans of such bands as Foals, Bloc Party, and, most of all, Wintermute, who sadly split earlier this year – interwoven guitar patterns, off-kilter time signatures and a rock-solid rhythm section are all present here.

The EP consists of seven songs, and each of these deal with distinctly different topics: ‘TV’ is a rant against advertising; ‘Squashed Aginst My Wall’ handles the subject of irritating moths; ‘Space Is A Waste of Space’ is about nights out; ‘Decorex’ tackles the construction of a house; the brilliantly-monikered ‘If Columbus Had A Sat Nav, America Wouldn’t Exist’ documents travelling; ‘Mosquito In A Bottle’ has a summer theme to it, and ‘Traffic’ concerns, erm, traffic – bet you didn’t see that one coming.

As the EP progresses, it becomes clear that the witty and observational lyrics define the band. ‘We’ve Tried Nothing…’ is full to the brim with such brilliant lines as, ‘Do you want a hole in my wallet after you’ve ripped me off?‘ (’TV’), and ‘Pull the curtains down / Start of a night out / Abruptly ends when someone tries to knock me out’ (’Space Is A Waste Of Space’). Put everything about it together and you’re left with a package that is very nearly perfect. The title’s irony becomes even clearer on repeated listens. It would seem that Pharaohs have quite the amount of ideas already, and they’re only getting started. Ones to watch for sure.