Sometimes I feel like writing about music is an endless string of comparing one band with another, and maybe, every now and then, throw in a few adjectives, separated by a vast field of commas. This is a dangerous game, a slippery slope, and any number of other scary epithets you might have heard from your D.A.R.E. representative growing up, because all it takes is one too many hyperbolic exclamations before you’ve convinced yourself you’ve stumbled on The Next Big Thing.
A band like Them Are Us Too is one of those bands that lives very close to the sounds they’re inspired by. I’ve not read too many reviews yet, but I can already tell the “4AD Sound” line is going to come up extremely often — which is fair, since they’ve got a sound like a beefier Cocteau soup going on. But at its core, TAUT (awful name, btw) is writing emotional torch songs that are unbelievably gratifying because of the interplay of vocals, instruments and effects.
Now, do I think “Us Now” is a masterpiece? Well, no. But neither is the 20-piece McNuggets I just consumed, but I’d run anyone through with a sharpened prison-issue toothbrush if they told me it was anything other than an amazing indulgence. As for the band, they’ve got potential. I’d like to hear them do more with the sound, the pitfall of the “4AD Sound” is that every song sounds the same (thus, the comparisons).
TATU’s debut LP Remain is out March 24 on Dais, and you can stream “Us Now” below. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to make a quick trip to my local fast food chain, put this song on repeat and worry about the guilt later.