JAWSJAWSJAWS, so good they named them thrice, well, on Instagram anyway. Known for scuzzy guitar numbers, hazy soundscapes, and echoey vocals that teeter on eerie, Birmingham quartet JAWS are back with their latest EP If It Wasn’t For My Friends, Things Could Be Different, coming a staggering four years after their third record, The Ceiling.
With this EP, Jaws dote on friendship, relationships and enter a new era for themselves drenched with dream-pop melodies, tinged with a DIY edge.
Talking on the new record, the band note: “Since our last tour — where we all caught Covid and ended up isolating for Christmas! — JAWS have been working on a lot of new music. Choosing to go a bit more DIY than previously and putting Connor’s lockdown MA in Commercial Music Production to good use, this project is entirely self-produced and afforded us the opportunity to really capture our sound.”
The first track on the EP, ‘Are My Friends Alright’, sees the band depart from the breezy guitars of their seminal cut, ‘Think Too Much, Feel Too Little’ to deliver a concoction of subtly reverbed vocals and strong electronic undertones. Smooth, dazey, and laid-back, this re-introduction to the quartet, and the love they have for their chosen family.
The latest teaser for the EP, ‘Sweat’ sneaks in at just under four minutes and quickly takes up arms with driving guitars rolling baselines that hark back to earlier tracks such as ‘Toucan Surf’. Bursting at one minute with forceful percussion, and gritty, strained vocals, Jaws almost step out of their bedroom pop box into almost punk territory.
Taking its place as arguably the most indie-pop-influenced track on the EP with funky guitar lines and catchy lyrics, ‘Get Up’ sits as the sonic opposite of the previous cut.
Opening with subdued, almost tinny drums, ‘Maybe I’ll Do The Same Thing Tomorrow’ sounds the most ‘Jaws’ out of all of the tracks on the EP, and wouldn’t be found amiss on The Ceiling. The track talks on being “still lost” at 29, and offers reassurance that even if you don’t know what you’re doing, somehow it’ll end up “working somehow”.
EP closer ‘Top Of My Skull’ comes in at full force with high-octane, almost unfollowable (in the best way possible) drum lines, and pleading vocals that make the short but sweet track jam-packed with infectious rock energy.
Their change in direction with this EP has paid off, fresh and subtly simplistic, the DIY approach sees Jaws emerge with their most developed project to date.
JAWS UK TOUR 2023
SEPTEMBER
25 NEWCASTLE The Cluny
26 GLASGOW King Tuts
27 MANCHESTER Club Academy
29 LONDON The Garage
30 BIRMINGHAM The Crossing
OCTOBER
02 LEEDS Brudenell Social Club
03 BRISTOL Thekla
Words by Lana Williams
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