Hands Off Gretel
I Want The World – Puke Pop Records
With the line “Finally I see my own self worth” Lauren Tate is not only showing a very positive and personal part of herself she is also offering hope to others. This then is the very real and raw side to what makes Hands Off Gretel such a phenomena. They communicate feelings to others that don’t think anyone else can feel the way they do. The anxious, the doubters, the bullied and the self-haters have found a band and a person that shows them they are not alone. There are of course others that write and sing about these things but here the song writing draws you in because so much of it isn’t dark. I Want The World kicks off with two such absolute bangers in Kiss Me Girl and S.A.S.S that you are left wondering if they’ve hit you with their best tunes first. This though is a record with no weak links, it’s just an ebb and flow of emotion laden brilliance. It’s a team effort too with Sean McAvinue’s guitar flowing wonderfully well over the formidable rhythm section of Sam Hobbins (drums) and Becky Baldwin (bass). The penmanship and arrangements are right up there with Smashing Pumpkins and Queens Of The Stone Age at their very best which means this could be another Nevermind moment in music history. Hands Off Gretel want the world and on this form it’s theirs for the taking.
Review by Gary Trueman