Overhaul
The Album -
Overhaul (Revisited)
Overhaul (Revisited) Album review
Written by Jenny Tingle
I wonder if many established bands ever wish that they could travel back in time to their early days? If they knew everything then that they know now, what would they do differently? How would they play the rock songs that they cut their teeth on as a band?
Well, that’s exactly what Overhaul have done.
In an unusual move, the Scottish grunge/alt-rockers have used their latest album “Overhaul (Revisited)” as a vessel to go right back to their roots and record the 10 tracks which would have made up their debut album, a precursor to “Hope Shines Through” which they released in 2006.
“Overhaul (revisited)” is a sweet mix of musical innocence and honed craft.
First track, “I’m scared”, kicks in brimming with pent-up energy and that fuzz distortion sound the 90s and early 2000s were famous for.
“How I long to be with you” has bright opening guitar tones reminiscent of bands like The Sonic Youth. Heavy and exuberant.
“Yeah! Like a cartoon” is my favourite.
Slamming drums are the backbone of this track’s quintessentially 90s sound. “Yeah” Like a cartoon”, has all the aggressive, sarcastically optimistic tones of bands like Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins.
You can hear the just-reined-in energy in the drum fills, the fun of playing music like this. It’s a very live, intimate venue sound with loads of guitar distortion and not-quite-clean vocals.
“Reaching for the stars” is a punk rock song for relaxed summer days.
“Drawing the Line” has some really cool guitar effects! Very garage sounding, refreshing to listen to in a time when exclusively digital effects & sampled drums are becoming the norm for many rock bands. “Drawing the Line” has total Punk Rock purity, with decades of musical skill to draw on.
Garage ballad, “Can’t go back” has spacey reverb and a sense of longing and warmth.
I really enjoyed reviewing “Overhaul (Revisited)”. It rocks hard, but there’s also something well…nice about it. As well as some excellent songs, there is a real sense of fulfilment.
Overhaul’s band bio states that they have “No intention of reinventing the wheel”. They know what they like to play, what they’re good at, and what makes them happy. I feel like this might have been their ethos right from the start. They play the music that they love, and their music has grown with them.
Yeah, it would have been cool to hear these songs when the band were rougher, newer, more musically naive and raw. But maybe this is the perfect mixture of polished skill and heartfelt, energetic youth. I think that overhaul actually picked the best time possible to release these songs as they should have been and will be. It’s an album which encompasses all their musical selves as they have grown and developed. A head-banging, exhilarating loop in time.
https://overhaulofficial.bandcamp.com/album/overhaul-revisited
https://www.facebook.com/OfficialOverhaul/