After the huge success of their first single, ‘In the beginning’ on Fierce Panda, The Features have released a rather short follow up (2 minutes and 4 seconds) ‘ The way it’s meant to be’. This immediately drops them into the guitar pop category, as it has no time to take the listener further or deeper than the chorus. The hand claps really don’t help matters. However, it isn’t as bubble gum as I may lead you to believe. The guitars are crunchy and there is something intoxicating about Matt Pelham’s vocals. With another minute this could impress.
These Tennessee boys have been compared to a lot of southern American sound-a-like bands, kings of Leon, Hot Hot Heat, and I can see the link, but in the second track ‘Someway, Somehow’ there is an unexpected Glam element. It’s a slower, scuzzier effort. It sounds more continual than the single and comparisons to The Dandy Warhol’s spring to mind. Maybe this is buried deep in this bands subconscious?
They round things off with a jolly; hillbilly style number titled ‘Buffalo head’. This took me by surprise; the catchiest line is definitely ‘You’ll never know what we’re about’. I fear, for me at least, this is correct!
