Bordeauxxx - Only Fiction Review

rating: 4

Firstly that isn't a spelling error and this band shouldn't be compared to the French town that they share their name with. Maybe they added the extra xx's to avoid copyright infringement? All suggestions welcomed. Only Fiction is the band's first release which they call a mini-album. It only has 7 tracks but they are incredibly well written, produced and performed. All of this professionalism comes from a fairly small band who started in Surrey. Not something you would normally expect... I've also been lucky enough to see these guys live and I was not disappointed. If they are playing anywhere near where you live, go and see the 5 piece that is Bordeauxxx. The album came out on the 24th September for the princely sum of £4 for the digital version, and £5 if you want it on a CD. An incredibly reasonable price for a mini-album if you ask me. The 7 tracker is an indie/pop blast that just leaves you wanting more. We open with the lead single from this mini-album 'The Beach Girls and the Monster' which is a hugely uplifting track. Oddly enough, it just makes you want to go visit a beach. The accompanying video is also great fun with brilliant use of a green screen. Maybe they had too much fun making this... Watch it below and you'll see what I mean! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K6rToBBGG0M 'Every Holiday is a Disaster' keeps the energy up and sounds very much like a mixture of two indie bands called The Burning Hotels and The Postelles. If you haven't heard of them, check them out after you've bought Bordeauxxx's album. 'Stupid Noble Reasons' keeps the somewhat characteristic beat heard throughout the album and has a slightly calmer mood at some points. 'Come Around' follows in this theme and features both vocalists prominently throughout the whole song. I like that they have two vocalists, it gives them much more depth as a band and was a good move. 'All That's Left' is a slow number showing off the musical ability of everyone. Not fully an instrumental track as it has some vocals late on and almost acts as the calm before the storm as we return to the upbeat 'BOAT!'. 'BOAT!' is perhaps my favourite song off the album as it is possibly the most rocky of the tracks. I liked the crafty use of the lyrics "If you're happy and you know it", which surprisingly work in this setting of an indie track. 'Headlights/Fireflies' finishes the album off with a mid-beat number that acts as a perfect ending song. It is upbeat enough so it grabs your attention yet at the same time it is slow enough to relax you down and prepare for the silence after the album has finished. So overall the mini-album is a great all round indie 7 tracker. If you like Indie music, especially the more upbeat songs, then this is a definite must buy. Other things to take note of are that they like to use a glockenspiel, they class handclaps as an instrument and one of them can play the trombone. Pretty damn cool if you ask me. A very solid 4/5 from me. I was left wanting more and hope that they get working on some more songs very soon as I loved it! At the mini-album's launch party in London on Friday, they completely sold out of tickets! Which is a fantastic feat for a fairly small band. After the show I spoke to the band and they said that, "The launch party was great. The culmination of months of hard work preparing our record led to an awesome opportunity to share our new songs with our fans." One fan tweeted, "you know you've been to a good gig when you wake with feel good indie pop in your heart and a temporary tattoo on your balls".
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