Tourists – Another State (Modern Sky) 
Release Date: Out Now
I’ve been waiting for an age to
release this debut album from Devon collective Tourists and then it nearly
slipped me by. ‘Another State’ has been hotly anticipated in a lot of corners
of the music industry and it doesn’t disappoint at any stage across all 10 tracks.
‘Silent Type’ gets us going with a mosquito buzz and persistent beat soothed by
dreamy, 80s synths that could be from a deleted scene in the Never-Ending
Story. The 80s influences is still strong on the pinging guitars of ‘Align’ but
there’s also a freshness that sits somewhere between the XX and Dutch Uncles
and that’s a freshness I can get on board with.
Regular readers will know I’m a
sucker for a good bass line so it’s no surprise that post-punk punchiness of ‘Smokescreen’
grabs me straight away and the pace doesn’t let up like a blend of really early
U2 and Idles but with more melodic vocals. ‘Faults’, by contrast, is all about
the drums which jerk and jive with beautiful irregularity while the guitars
ping and the vocals call in from what seems like another dimension. ‘Lego Man’
is perhaps the most commercially viable song with a real ear worm of a riff
before ‘Blindside’ really embraces that 80s aesthetic with some heavy, squelchy
synths and more of those uber-dreamy guitars.
There’s an ominous vibe to the
synths on ‘Black Friday’ which speak of a band who have immersed themselves in
the films of Ridley Scott whilst messing around with modulators and samples.
There’s a Gary Numan meets Howard Jones feel to the synth vs vocals battle of ‘Strangers’
while ‘Perception Management’ features a tsunami of delay drenched guitars that
you would do well just to let wash over you. The album closes out with the
title track, ‘Another State’, and it makes perfect sense as the whole album
feels as though you have been transported in to another state through these
dreamy, ethereal but not altogether organic melodies. Tourists will find a
fanbase with this album and the best thing is that it will be a hugely diverse
audience. Not bad for a debut!
More information: https://www.facebook.com/touristsband