Record Review: We Were Promised Jetpacks – These Four Walls

By Alex Brenner

Scotland must be the new Seattle this year.  Bands like Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad have made quite a name for themselves recently in the indie rock circuit. Discovered by Fat Cat label mates Frightened Rabbit, We Were Promised Jetpacks debut album, These Four Walls, is nothing but stellar. Again, I got this record because I thought their name was so cool. It’s a dynamic record that exudes youth, immediacy and most of all – sincerity.

The opener, “It’s Thunder and It’s Lightening,” finds singer Adam Thompson going from a whisper to a bombastic howl of pure indie rock. Repeating “Your body was black and blue” before erupting into a tidal wave of power chords and driving rhythm, this song foreshadows the rest of the record. The loud/quiet/loud formula does not get old here. It takes a few listens to get past the heavy Scottish accent but the repeating vocal lines and simple melodies make this band so exciting.

This album is all about the drums.  It almost sounds like drummer Darren Lackie is being chased at times. With frantic rhythms and rinse and repeat versus almost recited like prayers, this record is all heart. Thompson has a knack for hooks and soaring melodies too. “Make time for us / make time for us” echos through “Ships With Holes Will Sink” followed by “stay calm stay clam / keep warm keep warm” in “Roll Up Your Sleeves”.  Sometimes even the simplest lyrics hit you the hardest. I think it’s the directness of the lyrics and the clever drums beats that really make this record work. It actually took me a few moments to catch my breath through the first fours songs until the brilliantly placed (and drumless) “A Half Built House” serves as an intermission from the pounding crescendos and the soaring vocals.

The real gold mine here is the album’s single “Quiet Little Voices”. Again, repeating versus and a gang chorus keep you singing at the top your lungs; this is a perfect indie rock anthem. Big props to Sean Smith for the dancing bass lines of “Moving Clocks Run Slow” and a catchy chorus “So, you know / you take a little me / and I take a little you / we’re all part of the century”. I’ve heard several records lose their steam by the end by not WWPJP. From start to finish this record is exactly what makes music exciting. Is it original? Well, not really, but if you took the best elements of MTV’s 120 Minutes and put it in an album this would be it.

While still a very young band I think We Were Promised Jetpacks sounds well,…promising. This band is definitely built for speed.  They sound better the faster they play. So they don’t have the fancy word play of most indie bands; they make up for it with their ever shifting dynamics and sincere vocal delivery. Fans of  Franz Ferdinand, Frightened Rabbit and early U2 will really enjoy this record.