Playing like The Animals’ ‘It’s My Life’ updated with the youthful verve of Temples and Allah-Las, Hidden Charms’ ‘Dreaming Of Another Girl’ is at once a roaring throwback to and cunning expansion upon the 60s rhythm and blues scene, mixing the lyrical currency of Mystery Jets with the iconic Britrock style of The Kinks.
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Charms nail it all: a characteristically lurid bassline that screams risqué fantasy; caterwauling guitars fraught with boisterous intent; throaty vocals as evocative of Alex Turner as they are of Roger Daltrey; a delightful abundance of the tambourine; and an earnestly-paced progression that builds to a giddy rock climax, one that immediately throws up images of besuited mod lads commanding fervid crowds in dark underground venues. As such, the distinctive energy of the blues circuit abounds, though this is more than just canny imitation: the track is produced by Shel Talmy, architect behind such classics of the British R&B heyday as ‘My Generation’ and ‘You Really Got Me’, proving the attentive authenticity of Hidden Charms’ sound as worthy of its forebears. Add to this darkly subversive lyrics – “I was dreaming of another girl / I was lying by your side” – subverting the relative pep and amorous inoffensiveness of the original breed of rhythm and blues, and you are left with a refreshing take on an oft emulated but rarely so faultlessly embodied musical style that demands to be heeded. These boys are leading a new rock revolution, one that is revitalising the cocksure charm and wiles of 60s counterculture. Neglect them at your own peril.
Words by Tom Grantham
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