The Amorettes – “Born To Break”
27th March 2018So thereâs this old Scots proverb that goes âIf ye like the nut crack itââŠand essentially what that means is that if you like the idea of the reward, you have to be prepared to put the required level of work in to achieve it, and that saying couldnât be more apropos for this next band. Rock music has always been a manâs world historically, with women more often than not purely looked upon as eye candy to promote a band, sex sells after all right? Sadly, still to this day the ladies have to work twice as hard to get half the amount of deserved credit but when they get there, oh boy do they get to say I told you so, and thatâs where THE AMORETTES come in. The Scottish trio (Consisting of vocalist/guitarist Gill Montgomery, vocalist/drummer Hannah McKay and bassist/vocalist Heather McKay) have built up quite the reputation on the UK circuit, having performed with such established acts as THUNDER and W.A.S.PâŠand this year they continue to grow with their 4th studio album; âBorn To Breakâ. Mixed and recorded by Nick Brine (THE DARKNESS / BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN) itâs scheduled for release on April 6thâŠletâs give these little loves a listen shall we?
We open up with âCan You Feel The Fireâ and itâs pretty run of the mill by all accounts, the riffs and overall structure is for the most part methodical, though itâs got a solid rhythm and it utilises some good old-fashioned hard rock; itâs pleasant enough as a basic rock song and does have some enjoyable instrumentation here, the guitar solo stands out in particular, and this is something you can expect to see used again throughout this record. âHello And Goodbyeâ for example is realistically a sluggish, pretty much lifeless track, thereâs little of worth here, but Gillâs solo injects some much-needed passion into proceedings, properly making the most of the blues elements they are clearly aiming at. âHell Or High Waterâ suffers with the same problem until the solo, though to its credit this one does have a little more groove going for it overall. âBat Shit Crazyâ on the other hand is totally click baitâŠthereâs very little about this thatâs actually crazy per se, but itâs a decent little track. I mean anyone who throws Patrick Swayze into their lyrics for the sake of rhymingâŠjust no. Forget the bats; your mother was a hamster, and your father smelled of elderberries if that constitutes a good ideaâŠ
I wonât be too down on them however as when they get it right, they do indeed get it rightâŠlead single âEverything I Learned (I Learned From Rock And Roll)â is by all accounts a catchy piece of no-nonsense rock as the name would suggest, with typically rebellious lyrics it is a tad clichĂ©d but undeniably enjoyableâŠimagine AIRBOURNE but Joel OâKeefe has a few more Xâs in his chromosomes and youâre there. âEasy Tigerâ has a wonderfully infectious hook-laden chorus and I guarantee youâll be tapping your foot to this one, while highlight âComing Up The Middleâ pretty much combines all of the albums winning formulas, grinds it all together and delivers this delicious haggis of a track, and I meant that 100% complimentary, haggis really is fucking delicious, fight me! In all seriousness though, these three lasses are doing a fine jobâŠyes some of the lyrics are clichĂ©d, yes some of it is basic rock 101 and very middle of the road but sometimes thatâs all you need; honest, simple rock ânâ roll. All-girl rock outfits need more of a voice and alongside the likes of HĂXAN, DREAM NAILS and of course GILRSCHOOL all still flying the flag, The Amorettes are certainly doing British female rock justice.
Score: 6/10
Track List:
- Â “Can You Feel The Fire”
- Â “Hello And Goodbye”
- Â “Everything I Learned (I Learned From Rock And Roll)”
- Â “Born To Break”
- Â “Whatever Gets You Through The Night”
- Â “Hell Or High Water”
- Â “You Still Got Rock And Roll”
- Â “Easy Tiger”
- Â “Bat Shit Crazy”
- Â “Coming Up The Middle”
- Â “High On Your Energy”
- Â “I Want It Bad”
Record Label
SPV / Steamhammer
Release Date
April 6th