Nuclear Club-Culturecope | Album Review

Words by Craig Carrington-Porter

Nuclear Club have returned with their second album Culturecope. Released last Friday through their own label AAFTN Records, the album is a beastin’ 11 tracks in length and forms the shape of an intriguing and beautiful composition of harmonies, melodies and lyrics.

Having listened to the album cover to cover several times while doing house hold tasks (washing the never ending line up of dishes) or actually taking the time to sit down and listen to it there are certain tracks that stand out for me.

Firstly, the track Condemned which sits towards the end of the track stuck out with its more melancholy introduction.

It brought back almost quite nostalgic memories.

It opens with most band members present, a lovely piano chord progression, plucked acoustic guitar and a reverberated guitar melody. The introduction of the drums gives the song some guidance but its the totality of the chorus that executes the song for me.

The album has real hot spots to it where harmonies and instrumentation come together.

This can also be heard on the closing track Backstrokes which also begins with a more ‘at peace’ intro. Synths pulsate in and out of the background, guitars fade throughout but the vocals are the strong point delivering a closing crescendo to what can be deemed (or seems) like a fitting end to a solid body of work.

Secondly, other tracks have a stronger, more punchier start. Brother, Lend Me Soul comes straight in with the drums and throws a curve ball but still retains a more serious edge not forgetting the somewhat angelic vocal pairings and echoed composition.

Anchored in the West End of Glasgow, Nuclear Club worked with veteran producer Robin Evans- who worked with Manic Street Preachers and The View- in his rural T-Pot Studio located in Perthshire. In the past the band have played a string of shows, headlining O2 ABC Glasgow, The Edinburgh Corn Exchange and performed at Doune the Rabbit Hole Festival.

Carrying on, the fourth entry into the album Reach for me, still incorporates that similar aesthetic of plush guitar parts and harmonic vocals.

On first listening to the album I thought it drew comparisons of Bombay Bicycle Club. However, you could form ties with the fact that they do sound more along the lines of Fatherson and in some aspects Radiohead. The lead singer of Nuclear Club kind of reminds me of Thom Yorke’s more higher pitched (kind of falsetto) singing.

Plus the songs have a lot to un-package, there is quite a lot to each number. Certainly, there are songs you can pick out and treat as singles such as, Brother, Lend Me Soul, Condemned or even the opening track It Is I, It Is Time, It Is Right. But the point I am trying to get at is, is that you’ll appreciate the songs more if you listen to them surrounded by the other songs on the album.

I can also appreciate that I just made a thick headed comment as that is what albums are recorded for but I just wanted to make myself clear.

Anyway, lets wrap things up. Go and listen to the album. Find a nice spot inside, ideally somewhere in the sun and pour yourself a wee drink and get Culturecope on by Nuclear Club.

As always like, follow and share the band’s social media platforms. And with that, stay safe, stay sexy and keep washing those hands.