Grunge made modern, ‘Clean’ crackles with the angst and aggression but spends a bit longer forming it’s thoughts before spitting that venom into the microphone. It fuzzes against the hairs in your inner ear tickling as it goes in, there is a sense of unease, but also of release.
The EP that the track is taken from is a 5 track grieving process charting the loss of lead singer Lowell Hobbs mother. With ‘Clean’ you can feel the raw emotion and loss both in the detachment of the verses and the energetic fits that burst through in the chorus.
Tongues Of Fire are experts at creating a build, and their songs pulsate with this primordial energy that slowly morphs and evolves over the course of the song. It seeps into the very fabric of the music creating a rich and wonderfully layered soundscape.
The guitar is howling throughout, with this beautiful fuzzy distortion that lends to the narrative and building sense of dissonance that themes the piece. It is a gargantuan sound that pounds down on the listener with all the fury of a waterfall, constant and overpowering. It is joined in its assault by the drums which provide a powerful pummelling that reverberates throughout the floor of the track, ensuring the listener never finds firm footing.
There are moments where the bravado of the huge sound cracks as do the vocals and you can see the pain and emotion that lies underneath. This is a band brave enough to be completely honest, while also being badass enough to break your goddamn speaker while they do it.
Words by Matt Miles
