Here to prove that pigeonholes are for the banal is the Portsmouth alternative duo, Sabres, with their genre-evading sophomore single, Tell Me Where It Hurts.
The titularly compassionate, sonically scuzzed up single comprises just the drums and bass guitar. But the unholy rhythm section is far more than the sum of its dualistic parts, thanks to the heady synergy that grungily grinds through the collaborative chemistry between Sam Cutbush and Dominic Taylor.
Given the times that we are living in, there has been a discernible lack of aural angst, but Sabres are tackling our collective new crises, fears and perversions head-on with their unapologetic reflections on anger.
Sabres may be fresh from its late 2021 inception but in their respective earlier careers, they have supported the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen, British Sea Power, New Candys, Phobophobes and Melt-Banana. This is far from the first time that Dominic Taylor has left me transfixed by his monstrous percussive energy; I was lucky enough to witness the launch of his former band, Burning House’s debut album, Anthropocene. I’m stoked to hear him on top form once again.
Tell Me Where It Hurts is now available to stream on Spotify.
Review by Amelia Vandergast
Photo credit @oldskoolpaul