It really is a shame that Dutch Uncles aren’t
more famous. Hailing from the music rich city of Manchester and already onto
their third album, it would be fair to say that most people are yet to hear of
Duncan Wallis & Co., but that would hopefully be something that is about to
change with new album ‘Out Of Touch In The Wild’. Because Dutch Uncles may be
one of the better bands you haven’t heard of.
Imagine the bright and chirpy art-pop of Two
Door Cinema Club with the invention of Alt-J, not a single note misplaced and a
ton of xylophones, with vocals that lay somewhere in between Two Door’s Alex
Trimble and Hot Chip’s Alexis Taylor, and you arrive at Dutch Uncles. And you
also arrive at the cheery, breezy and thoroughly enjoyable indie-pop of ‘Out Of
Touch In The Wild’.
The inate sunshine of the string-driven
‘Godboy’ and the upbeat and instantly loveable ‘Fester’ set the template for
the whole record; and Dutch Uncles stray from this very rarely. It means that
these two tracks are a delight and the pick of the bunch; the sparkly
xylophones on ‘Threads’ take it near Vampire Weekend territory and the luscious
harps and string arrangements meet a skittering beat to complete the agreeable ‘Flexxin’,
while the finishing duo of ‘Nometo’ and ‘Brio’ delight with a mixture of
fulfilling rhythms and melodies, a vivid energy and vibrant notes that
intertwine to make a very pleasing outcome.
The problem with ‘Out Of Touch In The Wild’ is
that they stick religiously to their template, and the album then tends to feel
like one fourty-minute song. This is not necessarily an awful thing; the
violin-led opener ‘Pondage’ sets the tone very well and ‘Phaedra’ is an
excellent xylophone-led two-minute indie-pop song. But the long, drawn-out
string introduction to ‘Zug Zwang’ suggests a change of pace and tone, only to
slip back into the norm. It feels like a change in direction or a touch of
variety is needed somewhere, and without it, it runs the risk of lacking impact
and being lost.
This should take away from a highly enjoyable
and superbly constructed listen. Dutch Uncles should be better known; their
brand of math-pop is just as likeable as the more popular Two Door Cinema Club
and would be welcome on a grander stage, if their act became a bit more varied.
The strengths of ‘Out Of Touch In The Wild’ are also its weaknesses; they maybe
need to freshen up the formula every few songs. Oh, and did I mention there’s a
lot of xylophones?
A very good album and worth checking out, here's my favourite song, 'Fester'. Enjoy.
NWR
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