To be honest, I had never heard of Types until the other day when they contacted me on Twitter to promote their new single, I Can Taste Blood, which I really enjoyed so I went back and listened to their debut LP which was released earlier this year. From the second I pressed play I was astonished that this band had gone unnoticed for so long. They've crafted themselves such a unique and raw sound in such a short amount of time that it's hard to not see this band blowing up soon. What I mean with the term 'raw' isn't necessarily that they are new, but that in parts the mastering of the records can be very off key, with tracks such as Untitled Building Society Introduction being the ones to fare worse from this but what can you can you expect from an unsigned band that have had to fund their own LP, it was never going to be perfect.
What the album does well is deliver something so hauntingly obvious, that it's staring you right in the face as the raucous drums howl in the background and the guitars are so heavy. It's such a depressing tone to put on a record, but when done well it evokes emotions, and this album certainly evoked some sadness and some senses of grief throughout. And that's the overall tone for the record, damning and exhausted but still tiring on to produce one of the best unsigned records I've heard so far.
However, in parts the mastering being so low key does actually work like on the song China Shipping where the guitar distortion and the overpowering drums actually enhance the track, layered over the hauntingly echoing vocals it really works. Which leads me to something that really impressed with this record, the sound. Sonically Types have already found their niche and they have expertly put themselves into that genre defining hole. Where they really shine is on the track Overhead Power Lines, which holds some of the best guitar playing on the whole record, with fantastically brilliant string playing it's hard to go wrong and with the unique vocals it's a match made in heaven. I have to say for a first attempt at an album this is a wildly satisfying ride which leads to me being very excited for the future of this band!
7/10