Ready for another episode of everything Andy thinks is wrong.
In my defence, read this: the album was recorded at Francis Rossi’s ARSIS Studios and produced with acclaimed Quo producer and engineer Andy Brook. It was launched with a gig at The Cart & Horses — famous as the birthplace of Iron Maiden.
You’d make assumptions, right? You’d be way off. I was too.
Rather than pub-rock boogie or heritage nods, Colder Suns — led by father-and-son Paul and Charlie Hayes (guitar and bass respectively) — come at you with a sharp-edged, restless punk energy that feels wired, impatient and gloriously unconcerned with expectations.
“Heart Attack Ready To Go” kicks the door in immediately. Given the Quo connection, I wasn’t expecting something that veers closer to Jim Jones than “Down Down.” There’s a real taste of danger here — music that knows exactly what it’s like to grow up on the wrong side of the tracks and wear that as a badge.
“Pantomime High Fives” leans into Levellers-style urgency with a raw punk pulse. The band are apparently using vintage instruments, and it shows — not in nostalgia, but in texture. It sounds primal, immediate, and alive in the moment, like it might fall apart if they stop playing.
That same feeling courses through “Shaking Trees,” where singer Ben Martin admits he’s “sick and tired of worrying what other people think.” Quite right too. This album simply doesn’t exist if anyone involved was playing it safe.
Impatience is the record’s driving force, and nowhere is that clearer than on “Let The Bullets Fly.” There’s a sense of wanting something — anything — and wanting it now. That urgency defines Colder Suns as much as the riffs.
Even when things slow down, there’s no comfort. “My Weakness” sounds unsettled and agitated, asking “when will the madness end?” without offering an answer. “Lately” digs into more personal territory, but the pressure never eases, while “A Little More” makes sure there’s no let-up at all. “Rusted Into Place” takes boredom as a subject and somehow turns it into fuel.
The title track — bonus points forever for calling an album “Colder Suns” by a band called Colder Suns — shifts the pace and introduces a subtle prog tinge. It hints that this is a band with far more range than they’re currently showing. “The struggle consumes me,” Martin sings as the song builds towards a crescendo, and you get the sense that fighting is part of the point. They’re not done yet. Not even close.
There’s a line in “A Little More” that insists it’s “not for anyone else, just me, myself and I.” Fair enough — but Colder Suns might have to accept that this self-driven, wired-to-the-bone second record is an unexpected gem. And once you put something this honest out into the world, other people are going to claim it too.
RATING: 8.5/10
