REVIEW: Boston Manor's Datura off of SharpTone records
Blackpool based alt rock outfit Boston Manor are back with a new record. This one is the second installment of a series, meant to be consumed alongside 2021’s Desperate Times, Desperate Pleasures EP and a future third part in the series. There was even an acoustic version of “Algorithm,” a single off of that EP, released this year, which I imagine serves as the bridge between the two sections of the grander design.
With the presentation of this next chapter of the story I went and revisited Desperate Times and had it lead into Datura and my opinion of that EP is generally unchanged from where I stood at the time of its release; there are some really strong songs there, especially early in the tracklist. However I find, still, that it slowly peters through its run time. That in mind, I was pleasantly surprised to say I had little to complain about on this new record. When put side by side the two do sound like one project despite the fact that they sound so distinct stylistically.
Lyrically this band continues on something they’ve been good at for a long time; vivid imagery. On Datura’s opening and title track vocalist Henry Cox paints such a picture about the state of his own world as well as the bleak nature of where he exists currently. That sense of hopelessness carries through on the entire release eventually coming full circle by the end where he surrenders to the fact that he does need companionship on “Inertia.” Instrumentally this band can be downright incredible at times, being able to explode that very imagery with a huge outro or carry on the darkness with a slow electronic piece that never feels forced. Something I couldn’t really say about Desperate Times.
Were I to have issues with this record it wouldn’t really be in its quality, more in its presentation. At seven tracks with an interlude we showed far too much of our hand with three singles especially “Inertia,” which felt like a waste of an otherwise excellent closer. Had I heard that song for the first time as intended it could have really blown me away. There’s also the fact of the matter that yes, this does feel incomplete. It’s short, it ends abruptly with that extended outro on “Inertia” not really feeling resolved and more like it's meant to gear up to another track and maybe in a year or two it will. Perhaps it would have felt more satisfying with just the first half of that song but maybe that’s the point. All this being said I really want to reserve my holding onto this gripe until I’ve heard the entire project but I also feel like I can only judge what’s right in front of me.
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