When it comes to listening to music, I must confess that I’m a bit old-school. Although we live in an age where we are encouraged to make, release, and listen to music in single-track, bite-sized slices, I’m a fan of albums. Not just the idea that these glorious 12” platters have a shape and dynamic formed by careful track sequencing, but just that having everything in one place, chart-grade bangers, more offbeat songs, deliberately less commercially minded fillers, and everything in between, gives you a real sense of a band or artist.
I’ve loved the singles that French Dogs have put out so far. But if listening to songs like “Tucker’s Having A Baby” and “Broken Glass” is the equivalent of a fun chance encounter, Here’s to Pretending feels like leaning on the bar and lingering for a few pints together.
Beyond the two aforementioned singles, we are treated to a range of musical moods and sonic seasons, proving that the indie-rock spectrum is a broad space to explore. “Love Don’t Change Enough” is built on slower momentum, cool anthemics, and a more considered groove, a song that really takes its time for the full impact to sink in. “Flicked From Brick Lane” has that same scuzzy punk ethic that ran through The Libertines sleazy world, and “Tiny Islands” proves that they can roll back from the creative sonic half-chaos and deliver the most heartfelt and delicate slice of acoustica.
While, in a general sense, Here’s to Pretending is based on a familiar indie template, it is also the sound of that template being retooled for the modern audience. It is difficult to put your finger on what they have done; it’s more a vibe, an ethic, something that lies beyond merely the sound they make, an energy or atmosphere perhaps, but whatever they have done, I suggest that they keep on doing it.
