EP Review – Weird Summer by Sumos (2020) (Self released)
While every band, solo member of every band, their mum’s and their dogs, were filling my social media timelines with either a) maudlin depression music or b) acoustic versions of Wonderwall during lockdown, Manchesters’ Sumos quietly slipped this one under the radar at the end of April 2020.
Wth the possible exception of Cold Snap, a track in which the melancholy is forgiven due to the sheer level of laconic beauty it is shrouded in, Weird Summer belies Manchester’s status as the pissing it down capital of mud island (UK), to bring us an inimitable sense of hazy sunshine.
The best of the release, as seen in the opening and closing Makes No Sense and the title track, weave slants of chiming surf-laden jangle through an indie rock bombast fabric, in which a flirtation with all things ‘stadium’ are tempered by the subtle infusion of fuzz and reverb. It’s all the middle ground between Dehd style grumble and Real Estate jangle.
Occasionally the sense of beautiful has no fuzz assisted hiding place, with Cold Snap assisted by the sparse, isolated jangled riffs of Warning Signs, which is all the distant ambience of The Chills meets the vibrant melodies and quieter moments of Beeef.
Sumos have just released another perfect jangle-pop single in Quiet Place which is ‘hopefully’ signalling a full length might just be around the corner. Either way, with 2020 being ridiculously pants so far, they have already done their bit to let a bit of Manchester sunshine cheer us up.
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