We’ve been listening to Panic Island’s new stuff, and we’ve decided to review it.

We Start Fires
Opening with the slow crawl of the bass and haunting synths, We Start Fires is, like the fire of its title, a grower. There is a suggestive contempt within the words, an invitation to conspiracy that instantly draws the listener in. Likewise the rattle of the drum and the sharpened guitar and atmospheric feedback all suggest a song with the swagger of another era, the whiskey swilling excess of familiar rock mannerisms married to the spiteful vindictiveness of Post Punk indie. Easily a fave here at RTM and one we think that will find its way on to many playlists over the coming months.

Temples
Whilst weaker than its two siblings, Temples is almost Unforgettable Fire era U2 if they were stripped of the bloated pretension that is associated with them. There’s a lot of former Bristol indie outfit Strangelove in his track, the opening echo of its riff and the whispery vocals creating the suggestion of a soundtrack of frustrated youth.

City Screams
If The Cult had a heart, or at the very least, a brain, this is what they would sound like. City Screams is Fire Woman if the titular lady of the title had abstained for exciting Ian Astbury’s passions and gone to university instead. A bass heavy rock song that promises much more in the tone of its lyrics than the nonsense of usual genre fare.

In conclusion, a short but sweet gathering of tracks from a promising band. If you like your indie rock spiced with something sharper than the melancholy of many present acts, Panic Island might just be the band for you. Go see the band live, it’ll be your money’s worth, infact they’ll be playing at The Underbelly Hoxton on 31st August, you won’t be disappointed.

Sarah Tsang