‘Here’s another ticket’ says the whispered voice at the start of the wonderfully titled ‘White men are black men too’, the second studio release for the three piece form Edinburgh. It is only a year after their first release ‘Dead’, which received huge acclaim winning the Scottish album of the year and the Mercury Prize. It’s a familiar enough sound that greets you at the opening track ‘Still Running’. It’s a wall of sampled sounds, heavily layered so you struggle to pick out individuals.  The vocals are front and foremost in the mix and the variety of synths and other screeching sounds.

‘The devil’s boots don’t creak, Dial the number but you don’t speak’ – Still Running.

‘Shame’ has a similar enough feel, if a bit more sparse. There is a distant and swirling feel, with the pounding beat following through. The song develops and more layers are added as it builds towards the final moments. This is one of the singles released prior to the album, but does not immediately present itself as single material. In truth, the album does not jump with pop moments. It’s a mix of beats and raw visceral sounds, ripped and shredded amongst the rush.

‘Nothing but a bare face lie, Is all you cunts can hold on to’ – Shame

‘Rain or Shine’ is the next track that captures the imagination with the sampled organ sound straight out of a hammer horror and mumbled lyrics. ‘Sirens’ captures sounds of water, with sonar and plinking sounds. ‘Old Rock N Roll’ is a somewhat grating moment, that is lifted by some tribal chants towards the end. It is also the origin of the album name.

‘Some white men are black men too
Niggah to them
A gentleman to you’

There is always a fear with a new band that their first release is the combination of everything they have worked on up until this point. This album will not receive the praise of its predecessor, nor will it break many barriers to the main stream. What this album is though, is proof that they are a band that are here to stay.

Track list:

‘Still Running’
‘Shame’
‘Feasting’
’27’
‘Rain Or Shine’
‘Sirens’
‘Old Rock n Roll’
‘Nest’
‘Liberated’
‘John Doe’
‘Dare Me’
‘Get Started’