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Wednesday 1 March 2017

EP Review: Scarecrow Boat – ‘Tell Me I’m Fine’


Hailing from Southampton indie punk four-piece Scarecrow Boat, consisting of Dominic James (Vocals/Guitar), Robin Prince (Vocals/Guitar), Toby Robinson (Vocals/Bass) and Tom Webb (Drums) have been gigging across the UK since forming in 2014, having already supported the likes of Sorority Noise, SWMRS and The Flatliners.

In late 2016 they headed into the studio to record their much-anticipated debut EP at The Ranch Production house with producer Dom Wright. ‘Tell Me I’m Fine’ is set to be released in a few weeks and the band have been kind enough to give me a sneak preview.

The opening track ‘Tap Tap Revenge’ (which I can only assume is named after the IOS/Android game) sets the tone for the EP with an energetic start. Clocking in at just 2 minutes and 29 seconds it makes for the shortest song on the record. Once the vocals kick in the song is immediately reminiscent of bands such as PUP and early Brand New. With a strong instrumental driving the chorus as James’ sings ‘It feels like finally I have a reason to live, and for once in my life I’m not scared of dying’

Having seen Scarecrow Boat live a handful of times, I was aware that ‘Han Solo’ is song about ‘being stabbed in the chest by someone you trusted’ (Star Wars spoilers). While this shows the witty side of the band, the song itself however captures a sense of anxiety and deficiency through the lyrics ‘I’ll never amount to anything/I’m sick of all this stress/You’re not the only one feeling insecure’

With the EP’s description stating that the record touches on subjects such as ‘lost love, not being good enough and hating someone so much you can only express it alphabetically’ it’s easy to work out which category track three, ‘Alphabetti Spaghetti’, falls into. Robin Prince takes over lead vocal duties, with comical lyrics shining throughout and a lead guitar that’s reminiscent of ‘Modern Baseball’s second album ‘You’re Gonna Miss It All’. For a track that’s so hostile I can guarantee you’ll be smiling as you listen.

With Prince still taking hold of lead vocal duties fourth track ‘Picture Perfect’ sees the complete opposite side of the spectrum. A love song that’s packed full of references all the way from Spider-Man to Romeo and Juliet. As well as a bridge that feels like a homage to Brand New track ‘Me VS Maradona Vs. Elvis’ that then kicks into an instrumental outro with a soaring guitar solo before Prince’ reinforces the lyric ‘it’s a picture perfect love story’ one last time.

Closing the EP is a re-recorded version of the band’s debut single ‘Loved’, recently premiered on BBC Introducing Solent. With a guitar riff that instantly hooks you in and a chorus that’s bound to be stuck in your head for days you can immediately understand why the track was chosen as their debut single. It’s also a brilliant note to end the EP on, especially upon finally hearing the lyric ‘tell me I’m fine’.

‘Tell Me I’m Fine’ is due to be released on March 23rd, you can currently pre-order a copy over at: http://scarecrowboatuk.bigcartel.com/

The band are set to play an EP release show at the Joiners in Southampton on March 23rd. You can buy tickets to the show here - http://joiners.vticket.co.uk/

They will also be embarking on a short UK tour in support of the release. The dates are as follows:

April 7th – The Unicorn, Camden.     
April 9th – The Quadrant, Brighton.
April 10th – Face Bar, Reading.
April 11th – Gringos, Norwich.

Keep up with the band on Facebook and Twitter –

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