Album Details

• Artist: The Loose Hinges
• EP:
Nothing's Permanent
• Label: Self-Issued
• Year of Release: 2013
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: charlesmartel on 2013-03-05

The opener, "Don't Give up on Me", opens with a sharp guitar sound and a trumpet before soothing down to something reminiscent of Sheryl Crow at her most introspective underpinned by a strong beat. There is an immediate change with the title track which follows, with a much stronger rock influence and yet still rooted in something which the aforementioned Ms Crow might have been able to pull off. This is even more apparent with "It's Gonna Get Better." The common link between the diversity on display here is a sense you get of smoky bar-room rock with a laid back feel to it, latent with the potential, occasionally displayed, to crank up the power and shake you out of any sense of ease you may be slipping into.

This is confirmed with "Every Word", which is another smooth sounding song, with a capped trumpet playing wistfully across the piece. A banjo introduces the next song, "All of This and Nothing More" which features male and female harmonies. The best track on the EP is undoubtedly up next. "Why Waste It" is one of those tracks which starts you off in one mood and then quickly throws you out of the mood you were settling into, only to pull you back before you get carried away. Heavy echoed vocals, slide guitar and a refrain which goes up tempo make for an irresistible combination. The album rounds off with an intriguing guitar sound to "Where d'You Go," a guitar sound which would not have felt out of place in British post-punk of the mid eighties, before it slips seamlessly into an up-tempo rocker.

The EP is a more studied and more thoughtful offering than the debut album. It retains the delightful mix of styles and influences without feeling like a hodge-podge of indecision and inconsistency. A worthy follow up to the debut album with sufficient difference between the two to render any accusation that the latter is merely an extension of the former quite out of place. Nothing's Permament should cement the Loose Hinges' reputation for rock with a difference, rock with a classy edge.

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