We’re really interested in exploring how simple and stripped-back we can make things, using both approaches to make things sound as diverse as possible while still sounding like us.
Album Cover 'SpaceHopper'
Space Hopper can only be described as weird but wonderful, genre wise it is a mixture of Indie, Rock and Pop with a nineties vibe. The band resided to Reading after deciding that covering Slipknot tunes wasn’t their sound and took a total of six years to produce their debut album.
Tripwires have experimented with different sounds to find their musical identity and I think they might have found the perfect combination of music and lyrics to create a wonderful Indie Rock album.
With endless pop hooks, hypnotic melodies and groovy beats Tripwires are one of those bands that ooze creativity and originality through their music. Strangely enough, the lead vocalist Rhys Edwards reminds me of the lead singer of the Canadian Rock band Simple Plan. I think that Edwards shares similar qualities in his vocal as Pierre Bouvier, even though the bands are from completely different continents.
The band comment on the diversity they try to create with their sound by saying ‘We’re always joked that we wanted parts of our songs to sound like a hairdryer to the face, having said that, we’re really interested in exploring how simple and stripped-back we can make things, using both approaches to make things sound as diverse as possible while still sounding like us.’
The opening track and album titled song Space Hopper takes its time to build up, but when it does we get soaring guitar riffs, soft vocals and entrancing beats that make a wonderful and slightly interesting choice for an album opener. Plasticine is up next and it holds a richer sound than the first track on the album. The distorted sound effects and soaring vocals are very 90s and it leaves me feeling nostalgic, but in a good way.
Feedback Loop of Laughter mellows the tone of the album with its ballad type vibe. The song is enjoyable and feels like something that would have released in the late nighties. The next track is titled Shimmer and the energy picks up where we left off with Plasticine. The track is bold with a dreamy atmosphere and reminds me of an upbeat Radiohead track.
Love Me Sinister is the next track and even though the song is dark it isn’t sinister, instead it feels atmospheric and cosmic. Paint is another ballad like track with calming vocals contrasting with soaring guitar refrains. Under A Gelatine Moon stands out for me as it sounds just as we’d hoped with its psychedelic guitar riffs and dreamy vocals. The song is mellow and unusual with a modern touch.
Catherine, I Feel Sick is the next track on the album and one of my personal favourites. Even with its unusual title this track could be leading single material with poignant lyrics such as ‘Let’s get together/ I have lots to tell you’ and warbling harmonies with icy rhythm the song could be a big hit.
Throughout the album the Tripwires have been consistent with their but they have left room for exploration with the track Wisdom Teeth. This mellow track is stripped back and is much more focused on the simple and traditional sounds. An acoustic guitar and some vocals make this simple song the gem of the album.
Tin foil Skin is the tenth track and the longest track on the album, it is a whopping seven minutes long and during that time you can expect another heavy dose of psychedelic rock. The album ends with slow track that also reminds me of a Radiohead ballad, the song is a perfect song to close a fantastic album and it is filled with melody and heart.
Their new album Space Hopper is out now!
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