#81 Introducing...The Harmonics

This article was originally written for Ears On. To read more reviews like this, click here.

Nottingham/Derby based quintet The Harmonics have been a band for less than year and already they’ve had a string of support slots for the likes of The History of Apple Pie and The Crookes and released their debut EP entitled Shelley. The arrival of fifth member Tom Hopcroft in February 2013 allowed the band to incorporate a synth element in to their music thus cementing The Harmonics as what they are now; an exuberant and energetic band that blend shiny indie-pop sensibilities with a guitar driven rock aesthetic that won’t be ignored.

The first track on Shelley is ‘Lazy Daisy’ and features a suitable Strokes-esque introduction, complete with fuzzy production and rattling drums. The chorus is particularly emphatic and is a sure fire live favourite. The vocal harmony in the background is another nice touch and sums up the bands pop vibe nicely.

‘We’re Not the Same’ is a completely different matter entirely. Acoustically driven with a crisp and clean guitar sound, the song shows another side of the band. Eschewing the partylike feel of ‘Lazy Daisy’, ‘We’re Not the Same’ features more subtle background harmonies this time, while the chorus features some higher backing vocals which adds a lighter element to the texture of singer George Ramplin’s vocals.

The band lists a multitude of influences on their Facebook page, and when you hear Shelley it’s easy to hear a number of them in the four tracks that make up the EP. While ‘Lazy Daisy’ is a riotous indie affair, ‘Save the Last Dance’ begins like a You Me At Six song and while the verses never quite tread in to emopoptweenpunk territory there’s a breakdown towards the end which is particular evocative of those kinds of bands. There’s certainly nothing wrong with it, other than it being somewhat of cliché, but that never hurt anyone.

The Harmonics aren’t afraid to turn their hand at anything that takes their fancy from garage-rock enthused indie right down to candid accoustic numbers which have more in common with bands such as Third Eye Blind than The Hives. It makes listening to Shelley a pleasure, as you never know just what the next song is going to sound like. Despite their relatively short time as a band it’s clear that each of the five members are talented enough bring different influences to the table and manage to blend them all together to form their own personal sound without ever sounding too disjointed or erratic. It’s something which the band benefits from massively, as there is something here for almost any taste. Coupled with the radio-friendly nature of the band’s overall sound I wouldn’t be surprised if they were to go on to bigger things, very soon.