The Snuts are a four-piece anthemic indie band from West Lothian, Scotland, who consists of long-time friends Jack Cochrane, Joe McGillveray, Callum Wilson, Jordan Mackay. They release their third album `Millennials` this month.
The album opens with `Gloria` which is all about finding the beauty and romance in the most normal of things. Just meeting somebody locally and falling in love. It`s a fast paced offering with a pounding drum beat and intricately played guitar riffs. There`s an instant resonance with `Millionaires` which takes aim at society’s obsession with building a false sense of happiness. instead of focussing on the here and the now and the value of true love and friendship. A number that I have to say is an instant earworm.
`Yoyo` is a little eclectic with sounds blended throughout and “whoo hoos” and possibly relates to mood swings or mental health issues. A tale of a probable disconnection from life follows with `NPC` which might be about gaming where you can`t switch off and won`t engage with reality. A bouncing foot tapper reflecting on some of the distractions facing society’s youth today.
`Butterside Down` is a kind of steam of consciousness and maybe a metaphor that toast always falls butter side down, the idiom representing pessimistic outlooks but here it tries to give a more upbeat outlook while `Novastar` races along and could refer to becoming a new star and all that entails, the equivalent of a bright light that appears on the horizon.
`Dreams` is a feel-good track, which celebrates the feeling of punching way above your weight, when life feels almost too good to be true after a romantic interest reciprocates your attention. There`s an air of defiance and not caring what people think of you, a rebelliousness shared in the foot tapping enticing `Wunderkind` which equates to a person who achieves great success when relatively young.
`Deep Diving` is a probing exploration of our mortality, and the possible despair that can be brought on by overthinking this inevitable situation. A fairly deep and thoughtful composition. The album closes out with `Circles` and it`s a stripped back fairly anthemic ballad like number. A full blown almost orchestrated creation appreciating somebody close both lyrically and musically.
Although `Millennials` isn`t a lengthy submission it doesn`t shy away from addressing some fairly deep subjects that effect today`s generation such as mental health, social media, disengagement from society and death.
These topics are shared not in a preachy manner but much more reflective with compassion and understanding and against an enticing melodic aural soundscape.
The band are undertaking some Record Store shows before heading to North America with a full blown UK tour later in the year. I`d suggest you get along as it might be the last opportunity to catch these fellas in a more intimate venue.
Rating 8.5/10
