In a current industry consisting so heavily of seemingly repetitive “Indie-Rock”, Cloakroom Q present themselves as a breath of fresh air with their new album release “Tune You Have To Dance To”. Whilst I wouldn’t say this is for everyone, I think this is probably the best piece of music I have had the pleasure of reviewing in my (slightly limited) career as a music journalist so far.
Quite simply, the album is kicked off by its 45 second “Intro” which consists of a beautiful guitar melody, then harshly contrasted by the heavy metallic opening of “Nail In Your Head”. This instantly gives you a glimpse at the quirks and tricks that the band is about the throw at you over the duration of the next hour, all evident throughout “Nail In Your Head” which I think is a very solid (almost) opening track. It highlights the bands heavier elements that all work in coherence with one another, with clear skill both technically and sonically regarding the standout lead guitar in this track.
Again, I feel as if “Big Muk” echoes much of the qualities already stated whilst beginning the edge towards the theme of longer songs. The hard rock works well amongst the quirks of this track which leads nicely into the (slightly tedious at first glance) 16 minute long “To Dance Or Not To Dance”.
In my opinion, both this and the following “Held At Night” are incredibly impressive and feel like something from a movie. “To Dance Or Not To Dance” shows a great talent and depth of musical understanding, as it almost feels like multiple songs merged into one, yet it’s hard to fault the song as everything seems to work seamlessly together. It manages to avoid feeling pretentious which I would imagine a 16 minute long song could easily begin to feel such away, but it is simply an outstanding piece of music that I think many bands would be simply unable to come anywhere close to. I think it would be interesting to see live though.
Moreover, “Held At Night” carries similar elements of quality, yet acts as a much slower song that crescendos into a powerful ending. Here, the band re-emphasises the diversity in sound that they obtain, reminding me of the likes such as Radiohead in this sense.
“Perfectly Legal For Me To Ruin Your Day” stands at over 7 minutes long and again flows from a slightly more funky/pop opening to their almost signature heavy rock/metal sound. Yet again, twists and turns flow throughout that make Clockroom Q such a pleasure to be able to review.
Honestly, everything so far in the album feels so easy to listen to as it constantly throws more and more musical curveballs. It feels as though there is so much you could say about every individual track, which is a huge rarity in the current industry where many songs can feel quite formulaic and really makes the group standout.
“Substance” and “Painting My Nails For The Last Time Today” only carry on these thoughts, acting as slower tracks which are both powerful and moving. They feel so authentic and as though the artists have put so much of themselves into the songs (as is with everything else so far), as the lead singers clear Irish accent pierces through you. These were simply a pleasure to listen to.
Then comes album titled “Tune You Have To Dance To” which feels more upbeat coupled with a pleasant chorus. The vocals and drumming are the clear standouts for me in this track, woven between the succulent lead guitar line. It again shows more and more musical elements the band have at their disposal and is a great track to finish off the album.
However, this is of course not the ultimate closing track as the band opt to finish with an “Outro”. This seems to tie everything together perfectly as it mirrors the albums intro in being a melodic sensation to round off “Tune You Have To Dance To”.
In conclusion, it feels like there is so much to say about this album yet overall it is simply an incredibly impressive piece of work that shows skills that few bands and musicians are likely to currently obtain. The range that their sound carries across is outstanding and simply nothing in the album is out of place or feels in any regard at all hard to listen to.
I think given the very outgoing nature both online and perhaps in their music, Cloakroom Q simply wont be for everyone, but I think most people should be able to appreciate the talent this group possesses. Many songs feel to be of a cinematic and professional quality as every member of the band seems to excel at their instrument/instruments. But again, it is the twists and turns that makes Cloakroom Q so unique and are what I think makes them stand out the most.
In an industry that does lack originality at times, these lot definitely are going against this and it is brilliant to see.
Across the album I think that there isn’t really a standout or weaker track, which may be detrimental in regards to the musical conquest of Ireland which I think they are capable of, yet these lot are undoubtably a hidden gem amongst the current scene.
Ultimately I can recommend this album enough, it is simply brilliant and I don’t feel as though this review has done it justice. I would strongly advise checking it out.
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