Back in the day they were Candystash , Portsmouth’s so-called answer to The La’s ; Today, almost three decades later, they are Pantomime Horses: a trio halfway between England and Barcelona that sounds like how the music of the 60s was revised in the 80s;
After four years of working remotely, Forever Polyester, which comes with ‘Plastic Glasses’ as the focus track, is their debut album: a compendium of stories about lives lived and times past, with large doses of reflective but also incisive honesty;
Covering a wide range of styles, ranging from jangle pop to 60s psychedelia, the album by the English-Barcelonians exhibits great melodic sensitivity at the base of its pop songs, as well as deeply personal lyrics.
The chance email exchanges before the pandemic were their first contact in almost 30 years. Former bandmates Rob , Tony and Nigel began developing musical ideas while trying to figure out how to get reasonable productions out of their old MacBooks. Finally, someone suggested that talking to each other might be helpful. Almost four years later the album Forever Polyester was completed , on which the three had not breathed together since those carefree days.
The album itself covers a wide range of styles, from jangle pop to 60s psychedelia, lo-fi and retro electronica. What is common throughout the album is a melodic sensibility for pop songwriting and a deeply personal lyrical style, expressed in the soft honeyed tones of Rob Silber’s distinctive voice . Despite the indirect method of creation applied, the album achieves a band-like feel, with Nigel Kirby’s sweeping drumming style, Tony Laming’s McCartney -influenced bass lines and tight instrumental arrangements.
From the Blur-esque opening ‘ YLF ‘ to the heartbreaking ‘ Kryptonite ‘, with its nods to Portishead and outer space, Forever Polyester offers a concise thematic experience across the album’s eleven songs.
Old friendships rekindled by unfinished business, effervescent guitar pop spiced with psychedelia, jangling 12-strings and fairground organs, a meeting between the drama of everyday life and a DIY production, songs you wish you’d heard before but could only have been written now… join the parade !
By Fever Productions (translated from Spanish)
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