It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed any music and to be honest, I struggle to believe that my opinion carries much weight with anyone but when I was invited to review new album Resolute by Black Country alt-rock band The Missed, I couldn’t ignore it.
Released in December 2023, Resolute is a confident, largely acoustic indie rock album that appears effortless & natural. These eight laidback but never melancholy tracks, sit somewhere between early 80s alt/indie and the later sounds of The Charlatans & Stone Roses, while also having hints of US southern rock. Shared songwriting duties seems to have worked very well, resulting in each song demonstrating its’ own personality while retaining cohesiveness you expect from an album. Great songs, coupled with great arrangement, along with production by Chris Wilson, this is an understated yet serious peice of work.
Opening track ‘Marylean’ kicks in and perfectly demonstrates Ken Suteras strong vocal, reminiscient of Inspiral Carpets’ Tom Hingley. ‘Sibling Rivalry’ is melodic, catchy with shades of Charlatans & The Las. The guitar on ‘Tumbling Water’ gives us 60s acoustic/folk vibe while the drums on ‘Window’ bringing an almost funk vibe. Four Quartets gets heavy with the appearance of electric guitar, without losing the harmonies of the earlier tracks. Can I hear some Celtic signatures slipped in there too? Final song ‘Vapour Trails’ is almost a ballad, this stripped back is a triumphant ending to the album and is where the afore-mentioned US southern rock hints of The Black Crowes pops up.
Having seen them live on a few occasions the missed are down to earth with zero pretentiousness and I highly recommend them to fans and promoters of music everywhere.
By: Peter Williams
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