Alvarez Kings – Patience is Strength
Stream ‘You, Me, Them, Us’
Bright, breezy and bounding are three ways to describe South Yorkshire four-piece the Alvarez Kings. With an impenetrable live reputation they’re set to take on the world with their ‘Patience is Strength’ EP. Signed to three different labels spanning the UK and Europe it seems they are ready, set and go.
The EP spans five tracks, two new songs and three well-rehearsed ‘bands own’ favourites. Kicking off with the title track, ‘Patience is Strength’ we are entered into a smash and grab opener. Closely followed by ‘You, Me, Them, Us’. An anthemic number, which, tentatively crawls up your back and gives a mob-like release of fury. It’s pretty brutal in a constructive way, that being you simply want to be part of the band.
Track number three, ‘Dark Eyed Children’, offers what could be an Arctic Monkeys like track, in the fact it’s guitar led, but you could say that about plenty of other bands. The only link I’d compare the two bands is that Alvarez Kings are from Rotherham and not from New York City. ‘Funeral Reunion’ shows a lyrically softer side, alongside heavy backing, which lets be honest it’s a love song, with its musical rise and falls, just like any relationship.
Final track ‘The Sequel’, catches you slightly off guard after the previous heartfelt lines of the penultimate track. Firing up as the EP starts, we’re left with that end of the night feeling where you just don’t want things to end. Unfortunately it does.
Alvarez Kings do have a sound recognisable sound, it’d be wrong to categorise the band, as ‘indie-pop’ as there are so many more dimensions to them.
Patience Is Strength is a melodic incantation of five well-crafted tunes. Having listened to it from start to finish several times it’s definitely one for those summer days. As the temperature increases so will the interest in Alvarez Kings, they’re definitely one to watch in 2011.
Words: Jenny McCambridge
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About the author: Amongst a million things going around at the same time, Jenny McCambridge can be found writing for the lovely people of Counterfeit Magazine (here!).
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