Plush: An Album Review
25th October 2021Debut albums are often tough things to review as there is nothing to compare them too. I like to give older songs a listen to see how a band is progressing, however, I can’t do that with the eponymous album by Plush being released via Pavement Entertainment on 29th October. So I put on my big boy pants and dove straight in.
The Review
I’ve got something of a reputation amongst the All About The Rock staff as someone who likes all female line ups, this is pretty well deserved to be fair, just check out my reviews of the Barbe-Q-Barbies or Burning Witches as an example. So I was tasked with checking out this latest all female hard rock band’s debut album.
However, the blurb that came with it made me a little worried as the lead sing, Moriah, is noted as having competed on the American version of ‘The Voice’. I don’t like talent shows. My personal view is that if you want to be good at something musical, get out and do it in the pubs and clubs. You should be able to play to 3 people and a dog and still put on a belting performance. Just going on telly doesn’t sit well with me.
So it was with this mindset that I turned the album on.
Fair to say, I was blown away.
Moriah has a great voice, lots of power and range. The rest of the band are pretty great as well.
One of the best tracks on the album is also the opener, Athena. The riff is heavy and solid, the bass and drums charge throughout with a thumping rhythm that just works. Had this been released in the early 2000’s this would’ve been a smash, however even in 2021 it still works really well. This is a really good track.
The other candidate for best track on the album is one that I reckon will be a crowd favourite. Champion. A great riff that leads to a fantastic section which is sure to get the crowds up on their feet. My first note on this track says ‘Potential Banger’.
Are there any downsides? Well, not many. Whilst I really like Moriah’s vocals after a couple of times listening to the entire album they did get a bit same-y. However, that’s probably down to how often I listened to them in a short space of time.
Musically, they sound really good, maybe a little too polished at times, I do like to hear the odd mistake but I couldn’t find any, maybe they are just that good?
There were a couple of songs that felt fairly straight forward, Don’t Say That, for example is a ballad and it falls into the bracket of being exactly what I would expect. Maybe with a bit more experience and few hundred gigs under their belts they will feel braver and do something a little different next time, to take a risk and go for it.
However, these are minor gripes.
Conclusion
I really enjoyed this album. The sound is good, the musicianship is excellent and I really like Moriah’s vocals.
Really good debut album. I think the band has the potential to do some pretty cool things in the future.
Score 8/10
Track Listing
01. Athena
02. Champion
03. Hate
04. Found A Way
05. I Don’t Care
06. Sober
07. Better Off Alone
08. Sorry
09. Why Do I Even Try
10. Bring Me Down
11. Don’t Say That
12. Will Not Win
13. Walk Away
Label – Pavement
Release: 29 October 2021
[…] Off Alone.” “Will Not Win” is a high-octane rock anthem that fires up listeners (reviewed HERE). The music video was directed by Kaylene Widdoes. It features energetic live performances of […]