Back in 2012, Money For Rope came out of the gates with a real buzz about their live shows and their debut, self-titled album. They hit the road and apparently kept touring across Europe and the US. Thankfully they eventually got back in the studio and documented those years on the new album Picture Us.

As with that debut, the band again mix and blend genres and styles. They jam musical ingredients into a blender and end up with a sound that is familiar but never falls into a retrograde rehashing of other bands’ past glories. You can hear the ghosts of bands like Supergrass, Inspiral Carpets and Happy Mondays filtered through the kind of gothic-tinged garage and psych rock that the likes of The Scare and Witch Hats have dragged across these lands. Earl Grey stands out as a razor sharp example of mood and teetering energy as it shifts from a low-slung, snaking groove to frenetic sonic shakedown. Trashtown engages a wonderfully ramshackle and bluesy tone while Look lumbers along with a speaker-blowing sound akin to The Black Keys on steroids. As an example of the range of music Money For Rope explore on the album, listen to the title track. Its lo-fi, jangly quality and twists and turns suggests an affinity for the avant guitar pop of bands like Pavement and Sparklehorse. 

Picture Us casts a wide net, yet for all its variety there’s an overriding feeling of adventure and shared experiences that emanates from the restless colours and shapes of its songs.

Chris Familton