Century Media / People Like You (label)
16 July 2013 (released)
16 July 2013
This time last year, when everyone on the planet had finally gotten sick and tired of Somebody That I Used To Know, the incredibly catchy Gotye chart-topper had one last sting in its tail, when the runaway success of an eccentric cover version on YouTube caused Canadian psychobilly veterans The Creepshow a bit of a headache.
Their frontwoman, Sarah Blackwood - who herself had replaced her sister Jen several years previously - had guested with viral sensations Walk Off The Earth on a cover version which, to date, has garnered more than 150 million views. With a tour of Europe and North America looming, the success of the video saw Blackwood invited out on tour with Walk Off The Earth too, and when dates collided, well... that part is obvious.
Drafted in at the very last minute for a string of live dates, new vocalist Kenda managed to gel with the band with surprisingly naturalistic results, spearheading some high energy live shows across the UK before heading back to North America to work on their fourth album.
The first single from that project is Sinners & Saints, and it wisely offers more of the same carefree fun as usual. Frenetic drumming, matched by Sickboy's thunderous double bass support Kenda's sultry, throaty vocals as the gents provide their regular deep, blokey-bloke harmonies. Mid-way through, the guitars give way so that The Reverend's retro-tastic, Little Shop Of Horrors style organ can shine, and by now the song's vocal hook is embedded in your brain.
The more stripped back Hello Joe backs up the single, with the drums having more scope to breathe, and the distorted vocals once again proving Kenda can more than hold her own against the Blackwood sisters. The results are catchy and energetic, and if they're any indicator of the rest of the album, we could be in for the band's best work yet.
Sinners And Saints is out now on digital download and 7" vinyl.
