Furrowed Brow comprised of Richey (Vocals), Alex (Keys/Synth/Vocals), Evie (Bass/Vocals), Meg (Guitar) and Criostoir (Drums), formed in Manchester in 2019. This will surely go down in history as one of the worst times to form a band, especially if you had quickly gathered a reputation for your live shows such as Furrowed Brow had. But they have continued to be productive, having issued six songs in just nine months. This has ranged from EP “Dead Dead Dead Still Digging” to single 'Pissing Superfluous'. I had a listen to the latter and the expletives resulted in it having absolutely zero chance of airplay! Defiant and uncompromising, but not aggressive, far from it and the lyrics led me to intrigued by new single 'Punctual Punk'.
The track dives straight into a Cramps-style stomp with a twist of The B52’s. It tells the hilarious tale of someone who is always late, but for once is punctual. “You weren’t supposed to be on time” wails lead singer Richey with an air of frustration. It’s a 2-minute belter of a track which charges through this scenario with humour and groovy beats but with an electronic edge.
The 5-piece presents quite a different sound to today’s current music landscape. In their own words: “Our songs confront the jeering absurdity of human existence head on. Too often we’re bedevilled by the empty platitudes of “love and light” like donkeys feeding on roses of illusion, of fine ideals reduced to the lowest common denominators: vanity and spurious cheerfulness. Nobody ever feels the better for it. We represent positivity through negativity.
The B-side is the stomping, 70s-glam inspired “The Narrative of Hugh Gordon Pym”, which reinterprets Edgar Allen Poe through the lens of coronavirus and BBC Lunchtime News. At over 5mins the two tracks together present Furrowed Brow to hopefully a new set of music lovers. Their anarchic attitude and gothic twist on our crazy world is surely a breath of fresh air right now.
Check out the video for the latest single here: