Phonotonal
Uncle Blowfish

Uncle Blowfish
The Morning After LP

Demonstrating plenty of flair in terms of musical ability, as well as in terms of song writing and production, ‘The Morning After’ is a masterpiece of achingly emotional songs that twist and turn through a series of catchy intros, well constructed melodies and big chorus lines.

Opener, ‘Goodbye’, is a perfect example of the Uncle Blowfish brand of EMO, which sets out to produce the sort of simple song with lots of instant appeal, that draws in the unwary listener to what is actually a track of surprising depth.

This is very much the case for the riffy ‘Saved’, the sombre ‘It Was You’ and the anthemic ‘Seven Reasons’ – all featuring the same ability to ensnare casual audiences with their mix of crunchy simplicity before going in for the kill with either the huge vocal melody of Becky Holloway or a tight switch in direction from the guitars, bass, and drums. 

Uncle Blowfish are very much at home throughout the many diverse landscapes of this album and this is demonstrated rather well by looking at the humorous ‘Fifty Pence’, the heart breaking ‘Becky’s Song’, and the smooth pop sensibilities of ‘Something Beautiful’.

To pick the ‘best offerings’ from this record would equate to something not dissimilar to the track listing however, the combined impact of the first four songs is certainly a force to be reckoned with.

Uncle Blowfish have created an album that both embraces and eludes the concept of an out and out pop record with some real honest emotion behind the veils of the sugar coated songs.

Written by Smith on

Stuart 'Saur' Smith was a prolific writer for The Mag throughout the magazine's lifetime. He combined a day job of temporary office jobs in London with a nightlife of trawling the capital's music venues looking for talent. As well as writing about music, he was a session musician who featured on a number of singles in the 90s. Today, Stuart is a Chief Writer for Phonotonal.
Stuart Smith

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