From the touring poet for Pete Doherty and The Libertines to a full-fledged indie rock outfit under the Strap Originals label, Jack Jones and his Swansea three-piece have been riding high in recent years. While it’s been a few years since their thunderous debut album, ‘Swansea to Hornsey’ dropped, tracks like ‘Alcohol Kiss’ and ‘The Gangway’ still resound as rough and ready anthems of their time, capturing the grim reality of the modern age and blending it perfectly with Jack’s own spoken word poetry.
With the world turned upside down by pandemics, lockdowns and ever-growing social tension, Trampolene have returned to the spotlight just in the nick of time, bringing with them their titanic third album, ‘Love No Less Than A Queen’.
A pivotal release that delivers twelves unyielding new tracks, the new album is a whirlwind of powerful riffs, snarling alt-rock anthemics, and quick-witted lyrics that don’t pull any punches. Opening cut ‘Gotta Do More, Gotta Be More’, Trampolene was no time in drawing you into their web, delivering a raw, ramshackle sound that announces their return in perfect form. Snarling, caustic, and utterly irrepressible, it’s a sound that the band revisit several times on the album, digging in and lashing out with grit determination on ‘Perfect View’, ‘Born Again’, and ‘Milan’, and it works every damn time.
In true Trampolene form, the band have a few more tricks up their sleeve on the album, covering darker, almost gothic sounds in tracks such as ‘Oh Lover’ and ‘The Misadventures Of Lord Billy Bilo’, while also offering a bold, familiar dose of Jack’s evocative poetry and unique vocals on lead single ‘Come Join Me In Life’. Elsewhere, songs like ‘Brian’s Abattoir’, featuring a guest appearance from Peter Doherty himself, shine with original flair, painting a textured, folksy picture that will impress all who hear it, while ‘Shoot The Light’ delivers an amazing retro sound that surfaces as a true highlight on the album.
In the end, there’s so much ground to cover on the album, and so many impressive moments to enjoy, that ‘Love No Less Than A Queen’ becomes more than just an album. Filled with sharp, intoxicating sounds that crash over a dark wave of raw rock’n’roll energy, Tramplene’s third album is easily one of the most original, expansive, and ensnaring releases of the last decade.
Score: 9/10
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