More noise from The New Sound was always going to be needed. Geordie Greep’s masterstroke of a debut solo effort made all the difference to those influential pockets of indie-like noise. It is beyond the pale. A notorious peak to climb and engage with. The additional tracks to come from its sinister characters and surreal-yet-grounded view of the world, I Love My Family and Aching Knees, are of a similar cut. They were dumped off the record because a ten-track piece spanning over an hour is already a heavy task for some, adding two more similar-sounding pieces is playing with fire. And yet they offer new pieces of an ever-evolving puzzle which Greep has constructed through a fascination for samba and Latin influences, as well as a keen but reserved observation of social culture across the country.
Greep moves away from those influences somewhat with I Love My Family and steps aside from vocal duties. Here is a demonstration of As If Waltz and If You Are But a Dream. An extra slice of the Frank Sinatra-style crooning Greep hinted at towards the end of The New Sound. Seth Evans takes over here, a hint of standardised playing rather than the overwhelming layering styles heard on the likes of Blues or Holy, Holy. It is not an essential listen but it certainly adds a new layer of joy to those who are calling for Greep and Evans to pull out all the stops on a classics album. They should. I Love My Family is evidence enough for their instrumental and vocal understanding of what makes those lusts and loves click. A violent guitar surge would not benefit the sound sought after here, and this less-is-more approach allows Evans to shine through with a love letter to family.
But what is family and where does it leave I Love My Family? There is a tenderness and loss to this piece, Evans carries the urgency of forgiveness before death with this character who wants to be accepted again but sounds unchanged. Aching Knees is more the style and sound you would expect from the bulk of The New Sound. Greep is back on lead vocal duties after crooner Evans displays his passionate desire to reconnect with those who have no interest in doing so. Aching Knees feels like a continuation of those thrills. Softer flourishes of those Latin and samba influences are the real core of this second extra track. Another feeling of needing the warmth and familiarity of someone no longer in your life is heard in all the odd details of wanting your name spoken aloud or needing a closer proximity. It is sharp work because it is a unique route into topics every artist, at some point, tries to make a go of.
Ownership is the core of Aching Knees and the attempts at recapturing control are the fundamental turn of I Love My Family. Two switches in perspective pair nicely with one another as additional materials made for a 7” single. Extensions of sound and thought already provided on The New Sound whole, both Aching Knees and I Love My Family are remarkable in their own way, but the ground is already covered with stronger instrumental purpose on the album. Still, more Greep is good Greep and these two additions are exceptional. A well of emotional depth which encourages us to look at ourselves, find the points of a song which make us reflect, and realise the characters within are no better than animals, and nor are we.
