(Alternative, Indie Rock) Tribes - Baby (Deluxe Edition) - 2012, MP3, 320 kbps

“We were children in the mid-90s,” sings Johnny Lloyd of hotly tipped London quartet Tribes, and the influence of the period looms large in the Pixies-type descending chords and Bellyish melodic basslines. However, with inspiration also coming via T Rex and Mott the Hoople, this strong debut is an unlikely collision of alt-rock and glam rock. With Lloyd coming across like a latterday Ian Hunter, the songs are big on riffs, hooks, choruses, sex and swagger, although there’s enough going on lyrically to suggest more depth than just sharp songwriting. The superb Corner of an English field (“with the Devil trying to cut a deal”) seems to refer to a particularly dark childhood incident, and the similarly standout Sappho makes storytelling…
…(“How do you tell a son that his daddy left his mum when he fell in love with a girl like you?”) into a killer chorus. Every new year brings another guitar band burdened with expectations, but Tribes have every chance.