Among the many joys presented by Sheer Mag’s earliest 7”s was the feeling that you’d stumbled across a secret and were subsequently getting down and dirty, commingling sweat, with the greatest rock band on earth. Each huge riff and howled melody arrived caked in grime—another fundamental part of the fun came from deciphering the hairpin turns in the gloom.
Their second LP, ‘A Distant Call’, finds the Philadelphia group further from that starting point than they ever have been before. After making a dent with their era-ending singles compilation and ‘Need To Feel Your Love’ in 2017, Sheer Mag have shed some expectations on their way to crafting the sort of sleek, bullish rock record that prizes accuracy and sharp recording fidelity over basement show scrapes.
If vocalist Christina Halladay and guitarist Kyle Seely are still locked in a fast-moving contest to see who can deliver the most hooks, then it’s also true that ‘A Distant Call’ goes about its business in a more calculating manner.
There is greater instrumental scope—acoustic guitars, synths, moments of relative calm—underpinning a lyrical odyssey written by guitarist Matt Palmer that pits the band’s righteous power-pop and searing leads against a well of hurt.
Halladay’s performance is mighty. Utilising a studio to record her vocals for the first time—previously she’d preferred to call on an eight track—has cleaned things up ever so slightly. Her delivery has never been clearer, and after considering that extra focus for a moment she swings for the fences. Whether discussing refugees, the death of an abusive father, body shaming or busted relationships, she is absolutely on the money.
Seely is aided and abetted by his brother Hart, who pulls double duty on bass and in the recording chair. Together they have built an album that wears its retro charm easily because Halladay is on hand to upend anything that strays too far towards pastiche. Each overdriven riff, every Thin Lizzy-worshipping doubled-tracked solo, feels like it comes from the heart. It’s style meets substance.
There is an element of loss with this approach, perhaps unavoidably. The surprise element, and the immediacy of formative songs like Fan The Flames, will likely never be repeated. But, operating within a framework that they understand down to the nuts and bolts, Sheer Mag are making intelligent, exciting rock ‘n’ roll records that will last long in the memory. Knock offs and empty retro grabs can’t do that.
Sheer Mag Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Mon November 04 2019 - MANCHESTER YES
Tue November 05 2019 - DUBLIN Grand Social
Wed November 06 2019 - LEEDS Brudenell Social Club
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