(c) Vivien Varga
If A bull lost their drummer a few years ago, they just switched to a drum machine. What would certainly be frowned upon in many places works wonderfully for the quartet from Bristol. Post punk of the particularly dark, desolate kind is celebrated here, as massive and oppressive as humanly possible. After several small formats they signed with Season Of Mist, where now the debut „Hunt“ the country.
With the opening “Dissent” it immediately goes in the right direction. Naut manage to sound chilled and lively at the same time. While the core propagates depressing gloom, the synths loosen things up and collide entertainingly with the guitars. In addition, Gavin Laubscher plays the sinister high priest of post punk, who achieves great effects with dramatic gestures. This also succeeds in “All The Days”, where the main melody quickly burns into the cerebellum without getting on your nerves. Endless loops, rough edges and even a bit of dark or gothic rock charm in the finish provide entertainment.
It quickly becomes clear where the inspiration comes from, although the Brits try to distance themselves from the 80s post-punk schema-F as much as possible. Of course, the strumming guitars awaken familiar memories, but are often broken down into individual parts and reinterpreted as one of many instruments. That’s exactly what happens in the overly long “8 In 3”, where almost seven minutes lead into winding, complex realms. The second half in particular is devoted to almost catastrophic gloom and desolate soundscapes. This is just as fun as “Nightfall”, whose singing strings definitely have a wave character, while Laubscher raises his voice and shines with catchy threatening gestures.
A new post-punk band that cleverly reinterprets familiar means: what reads quite familiar works wonderfully with Naut. Comparatively simple ideas are increasingly alienated and seasoned with idiosyncratic anxiety, and that is exactly what makes for great entertainment. “Hunt” brings another facet to the dark genre, which likes to squint into dark and gothic realms, while remaining true to the 80s in the best sense of the word. The British quartet feels audibly comfortable between the chairs and delivers an appealing debut between mini hits and spectacular soundscapes; definitely a big promise for the future.
Rating: 8/10
Available from: 02/24/2023
Available from: Season of Mist (Soulfood Music)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/NAUTUK
Category: Magazin, Reviews