The Swiss Lips debut album has finally landed! Well with me yes for a few weeks now, with the rest of you it is but a click of Itunes away from being in your own personal possession.
This is an album that has fought its way into being, through no fault of its own but at the controlling hands of an ex-label. As a fan and a listener I’m just thrilled that it’s here at all and that the artists in this case fought back.
If the electro-pop sorcerers themselves had, had their way from the beginning, we would probably be well into album 2 by now. Undeterred by industry politics Swiss Lips now bring us their consummate debut album effort we should have had a good time ago.
Some might say, in the fickle world of pop that by releasing an album that was primed good to go some time ago, that the band have missed their optimum slot, but I choose to look more upon this as being a second chance to re-discover all the flavours of an astute pop band then and now, whose tracks have that edge about them and have stood the test of time to some extent already.
If you have read any of the track reviews I have featured on Swiss Lips, chances are you’ll be expecting the self-titled debut album to be bursting at all seams with fizzing and powering synth-driven anthems. Well of course all the tracks that have served primarily as promotional buzz have been allotted spots, here ( “U Got The Power”, “In The Water”, “Carolyn”, “Books” ) if all these key tracks in Swiss Lips history thus far were not in here, then it simply would be at a loss for it.
Quite on the contrary to the perceived notion that this album might be weighted one by one in electro curated anthems, the Manchester based band have instead opted for a savvy balance which falls more in showcasing the band’s creditable skills at turning out strong, modern and engaging pop on all levels. New tracks “Over and Over”, “Kid” and “Running Away” exhibit a far more maturely tailored sound than that which is given off by earlier efforts. Their inclusion acts to aid the dynamics of light and shade that turn this album from that of merely a collection of dance-pop to one that should be considered contemporary electro-pop.
That’s not to say that there isn’t a healthy choice of new single options to choose from. I have always harboured a hope that “In The Water” might have made it as a single, but now feel the chance has perhaps gone by on that one. I’m quite happy to wallow in nostalgia by having that one left as an album track, now knowing that there are other obvious singles like “Honey” and “Books” especially which hold-up aptly to fulfil this requisite.
So if you thought Swiss Lips were a band that were all on the one level, their debut album will make you think again on that. I challenge you NOT to take this album on face value, being that this long player has definite depth, grit and fortitude going on beyond its bold, buff electro-pop exterior.
As with current single “Books”, which on the surface of it, first gives an infectious hook-driven impression but there is much more realness and gutsiness going on in this belly.
“Swiss Lips” by Swiss Lips releases March 16th
“Books” by Swiss Lips is OUT NOW!