Manchester five-piece A Mouth Full of Matches know how to rock. After a year of smashing their way through the live scene the band have unveiled their debut EP Tasting Fire – it’s a tasty little offering that manages to pack an album’s worth of hooks and riffs into five delightful tracks.
There’s no easy way to say this – opening track Take Me Away sounds a little bit like INXS. You know that half-dirty, half-sexy feeling you get where think that you may need to have a wash after the song’s finished? Well, that’s what Take Me Away is like – the weaving melodies firing from the guitars merge nicely with a catchy chorus and a genuinely impressive drum sound to create an interesting and enjoyable opener. Second track Gather Up Your Spine is a heavier affair. Vocalist Tom Buxton has the slightest air of Placebo’s Brian Molko about him – however, we’re sorry to say that his vocals can sometimes be drowned out by the formidable bass/guitar duo of Jane and Helen Hebenton.
We’re going to be honest – In The End is seriously impressive for a debut EP. The crunching guitar yet again forces its way to the forefront of the track, though this time it leaves enough space for the other instruments (and particularly the vocals) to really shine. It’s possibly the most focused track on the EP.
Let’s Burn Beautiful is the EP’s stand out track, and it’s also probably the riskiest song on Tasting Fire. The band’s adaptability is something you really don’t see very often – they’ve managed to go from the sex-rock of Take Me Away to the blues-pop of Let’s Burn Beautiful in the space of a few short minutes, which is a genuinely impressive feat.
Closer (and title track) Tasting Fire is another quality offering from A Mouth Full of Matches, and the tone of the track perhaps serves to sum up the EP in general – it’s packed full of risks and riffs, yet is doesn’t seem to take itself too seriously. These five tracks are all growers and there isn’t a bad tune to be found – these guys have got so much raw potential and we can’t wait to hear more from them. They’ve arrived on the scene and decided to just do their own thing. They’re doing exactly what they want to do and they’ve got their own unique sound – what could possibly go wrong? Get ready to start Tasting Fire and enjoying the debut EP from these talented up-and-comers.
