Subject Matter album review

Subject Matter are a 4 piece rock band from Dublin consisting of Paul O'Keefe, Tommy Devine, Ste Brennan, and Paul Carey.

With a fresh new sound and now an album to back it up, Smash The Mould sets the bar high for other bands. What firstly stands out for me with Subject Matter is they released an album, not just an EP or a few songs, as most bands do. It's a 12 track album, which shows the band are serious about musicianship and what they do.

Beginning their debut is 'Funky Coloured Pitfalls', a catchy number with heavy riffs and chants throughout the whole song you can easily sing (or shout) along to. This leads listeners into 'Give It To Me Straight' and brings us straight into the action, with a slightly punk sound with more chants of 'hey! hey! hey!'

Next, 'What I Know' could be written off as repetitive, but is catchy in places, with a good bass line. An acoustic song is a rarity for this rock band, but 'Dressed to Depress' works extremely well. For me 'See Thru Souls' is the standout track from the album. The intro matches the chorus, and with verses of almost no guitar, they show off the clean cut vocals from the start.

'Keep Me With You' is a tender slow song, displaying that acoustic songs can often be the most powerful from a band. 'The Pass At Dark' has a slight country twang to it, while this is not a bad thing. Shouting lyrics to do with sex and dick, it's one to be remembered. 'O Nani Ama' ends the album with an almost African chant for the title, with a big bold song to finish it all off.

Collectively, the songs are all well written and sound like no Irish band, or any other band right now. The album takes a while to get into, but after a few listens it's very good. I think the band will make a name for themselves on the scene, and they need to be seen live to witness their full potential.



Head to http://subjectmatteronline.com and download their album for free!