Album Review: The Family Rain – Under The Volcano
2 min read
Under the Volcano is the debut studio album from the three brothers who make up English band The Family Rain, and it is pretty damn awesome. Forming in 2011 William, Ollie and Timothy Walter have come a long way from their first attempts in the music arena as Rock Pirates and later Dark Horse, essentially a rock covers band. Under the Volcano is a 12-track album with a definitive sound that positions them within the alternative/indie rock genre.
The record kicks off with the devilishly sweet drum work of opening track Carnival, from the get go you can easily draw parallels between the early work of Australian grunge rock band Grinspoon. Coming in at a smooth second Trust Me comprises some very slick catchy guitar and lends itself to a grungier feel. This is an album standout and a great demonstration of the impressive song compilation featured across Under the Volcano.
The more you listen to this album the more there is to discover. William Walter has a dynamic voice, not too dissimilar to Jack White at times and especially in third track Feel Better. You can hear what appears to be a strategic auto-tune on fourth track Don’t Waste Your Time but with the loud static contribution from the lute family it definitely doesn’t take away from the track.
Sixth track Binocular has single appeal and an awesome melodic rhythm; it is tracks like these that will earn these brothers a score of new fans. The fact they can afford to keep a track like this at number six highlights the impressiveness of this as a debut album. Under the Volcano is extremely enjoyable to listen to particularly if you are an alt indie fan. Not to take away at all from the complexity of tunes like On My Back there will need to be some lyrical maturity as the band progresses. A few tracks are slightly repetitive or don’t challenge the beat set by drummer Timothy but you can feel they’re heading in the right direction. Also, as a first album they haven’t bent the rules too much, it’ll be interesting to see if they can carve a bit more a unique mark for themselves in the future.
This album will go a considerable way in earning them a share of the indie rock market. If you aren’t hooked from the first half of the record they’re probably not for you, tracks one through to six showcase the style and breadth of The Family Rain and what Under the Volcano is all about. Impressive as a debut album – I’m looking forward to hearing more from this set of brothers.
