In advance of their second EP “Buzzards Wake” which is due out 12 March 2021, London 5-piece Social Contract have released single 'Waterside Mews' on independent label Pantherburn Records.
Founded in 2017 by Josh Eggerton (guitar, vocals), Scott Roach (guitar, also touring member of Happyness and Blaenavon) and Bisque Wemyss (drums), Social Contract now welcomes new members Frank Cartwright (synth, piano, vocals, acoustic guitar) and Arun Starkey (bass) who make their first appearances on this EP.
Every member comes from a different musical background. Eggerton grew up playing in various metal bands and listening to bands like The Verve and Echo & Bunnymen. Roach brings a more indie rock sound inspired by bands like Bombay Bicycle Club and Future Islands, and Wemyss brings a chamber-psych edge to his drumming as inspired by bands like Pigs x7. Cartwright adds new flavour, contrasting the sonic heaviness with new piano sounds, synth, acoustic guitar, and whispery vocals, while Stark adds depth to the bands pre-existing shoegaze heaviness.
And BOOM we are straight in, no messing about, with a driving bassline which is perfectly complemented with thrashing but ethereal drums. The vocals weave in with a style of Echo and the Bunnymen but this track is more about the sonic experience. Can a track have a big sound? I think so, and this is it. As “Waterside Mews” progresses the foot is slightly taken off the pedal and it moves into a sporadic instrumental section largely improvised while recording at The Ranch Production House with producer Neil Kennedy (Creeper, Milk Teeth, Boston Manor). It demonstrates the talent of the musicians to create an improvisation and make it part of the final track. The song is written from the imagined perspective of a dogwalker who stumbles upon a dead body tied to a tree – not your usual subject matter for a song, but this is a musical journey rather than a lyrical one.
NME claims that Social Contract are “one of the most exciting noises to come out of London in ages…no-one is writing guitar music this intimate yet expansive.” , and I can absolutely see why.
NME claims that Social Contract are “one of the most exciting noises to come out of London in ages…no-one is writing guitar music this intimate yet expansive.” , and I can absolutely see why.
Check out the video for the single here: