Post War Glamour Girls 'Feeling Strange' (ALBUM REVIEW)

The ever progressive Post War Glamour Girls return with their second full length album Feeling Strange. Anyone who has followed their career to date will not be surprised to learn that the Leeds quartet have refused to rest on their laurels after the success of their debut LP Pink Fur. Feeling Strange is the next step of the bands constant evolution. It feels like they have developed a completely new sound. They have always been a band who cannot be pigeon holed and therefore it was inevitable that this album would differ from the last, just as Pink Fur sounded nothing like all their prior EP's.

Feeling Strange opens with "Felonious Punk", a perfect fusion between light and dark. Lead singer James Smith's angst ridden, street preacher style, verses drift into a beautiful, peaceful chorus showcasing their renowned ability to create soothing harmonies. The fuzzy electro style guitar riffs add extra grit to the seething vocals. "Felonious Punk" is followed by "Wax Orphans", another fine example of moving harmonies and contrasting emotions combining.

Post War Glamour Girls have embraced and honed their softer side with tracks like "Gentle Is Her Touch" and "Highest Hill", but this record has a hefty proportion of fuming social commentary with a sense of despair. Smith recently described it as "A record about government, war, poverty, injustice and all that shit you read about and hear about every single day, It’s a record about feeling guilt and shame for things we are not personally responsible for, and of almost admitting defeat." Perhaps the best example of this is "Shell Of A Man".

My highlight of the album has to be "Cannonball Villages", the way it builds from almost nothing to a rousing, uplifting, and powerful climax is partly down to Alice Scott's wandering and driving bass. As the track builds Smith's vocals become more and more reminiscent of a Mark E. Smith rant, but much more concise and focused.

Feeling Strange is indisputable proof that Post War Glamour Girls are one of the most exciting, creative, and talented bands around. They are a multifaceted act and they excel in all areas and elements incorporated in this dynamic album. I thought Pink Fur was going to be very difficult to match as it is such a fantastic piece of work but they have done that at very least, if not improved upon it.

Words - Gary Sykes

'Feeling Strange' is released on October 30th 2015

PWGG official

Hide & Seek Records