2:54
One of my biggest regrets about having a lot of work lately has been not being able to tell you about this band sooner. The most I could manage was a Twitter update a month or so ago. But the work is done, the sun is shining and I'm inside listening to 2:54. And I couldn't be happier.
The release of their self-titled debut album snuck up on me a little. I'd listened to their single, Scarlet, repeatedly since I first found it on Spotify and recently I've become hooked on the Wild Beasts remix of You're Early (it's brilliant, trust me). I'd waited with baited breath for the album release, but somehow May 28th rolled around much sooner than I'd expected and there in my inbox, without warning, was the email from Recordstore saying that release day was finally here! I bought it and Spotified it. And got myself a retweet from the band in the process.
For those of you that have never heard of them before (and as usual, there's no Wikipedia page yet), 2:54 are two sisters, Colette and Hannah Thurlow who count The xx among their friends and make songs with addictive guitar riffs and haunting vocals. It's brooding and melancholy and an incredibly intelligent debut album. 2:54 are the sort of band that restore your faith in new music and make you want to venture away from the tried and tested bands you've come to rely on.
Tracks such as previously released You're Early sit well between new material and the whole album flows like a dream. Watcher is probably my favourite track. Hannah's guitar riffs are the driving force of the song, with Colette's vocals floating beautifully on top. There are certain similarities with bands such as Warpaint and The xx, but 2:54 seem to be more the brooding cousin than the twin sister. I cannot get enough of that guitar though; Hannah manages to make even the simplest riffs just sound so perfect.
I wrote a post a little while ago about Widowspeak and in many ways, 2:54 seem to be the slightly darker British version. Both bands have bright futures ahead of them, with solid debut albums edging them forward. For now though, my ever growing playlist of intelligent, female-fronted bands has found its new champion.
The album is out now - order your copy and then get streaming.