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Album Review : Self Torque’s debut album is about to land, and is all set for some heavy rotation

By Sonny Tyler
Self Torque main

Brighton DIY punk/indie trio keep things tight with the release of their highly anticipated LP - 'A Brutal Nadir'

Brighton’s music scene has never been short of creativity, and new and interesting bands frequently pop up in this musically fertile city. Quite often, these groups are left-field and inventive, and I’m happy to report that we can now add Self Torque to that list. The band’s debut album, ‘A Brutal Nadir‘ is about to drop on the 30th of January, and it will be their first release on Sugar Free Records.

Self Torque have influences that spread fairly far and wide, including the likes of Weezer, Buzzcocks, Stiff Little Fingers, Hot Snakes, Young Livers and The Hives. Most of the above, I can hear traces of on this album. The band are of course based in Brighton, and comprise of Gabriel MacKenzie (vocals and guitar), Jay Cross (bass guitar) and Luke Ellis (drums). They’ve all cut their teeth on the city’s underground DIY scene, and this particular three-piece is born out various bands that Gabriel has put together over the years.
Self Torque band 2
Self Torque
‘A Brutal Nadir‘ was recorded at the excellent Brighton Electric studios and is produced by Mark Roberts (Black Pears/Jamie Lenman), with additional engineering work from Alex Gordon, who has also worked with the likes of The Cure and Tigercub, amongst many others. These ten tracks are certainly quite varied, and the opening track, ‘Wicker Incident‘ has old school punk vibes, but also manages to sound like Supergrass during their legendary ‘I Should Coco‘ phase. This particular song is rather a catchy one, where Gabriel sings, “Even I can tell that something’s wrong on this hateful summers day. Make it go away”.
‘Fortitude‘ carries things on in an indie vein, whilst hitting us with an infectious chorus and a dramatic crescendo in the guitar department. ‘(All The Things I) Wannabe‘ also shares its 1977 punk sensibilities with us, but at the same time sounding quite poppy by the time the chorus comes along. The lyrics are about “driving around in a muscle car in California”, but by verse two, they strive to be part of an “Anarchist community”.
‘Del Shannon‘ was one of the lead-off tunes from this album, and it’s easy to see why. It begins in a post/punk grunge style, complete with ‘screamo’ vocals, but is complimented with melodic passages inbetween the noise. It also features an enjoyable trumpet solo, straight out of a spaghetti western. ‘Fade To Blank‘ slows things down, and ‘Was Once A Waltz‘ ventures back into indie territory. ‘Dill Temko‘ has a mellow intro, with a bassline that wouldn’t sound too out of place on an album by The Cure. This song also involves some impressive soaring vocals that build to a dramatic climax to end this rather short but sweet song.
Self Torque band
Self Torque band
‘Instrumental‘ is exactly what you imagine it to be, and is an effective segue into the album’s highlight, ‘High Temperature Serpent‘, inspired by San Diego garage rock with a tinge of old-school hardcore. This song livens the proceedings up nicely, in an almost Arctic Monkeys manner. It boasts a shuffling beat and some raucous vocals, while also managing to fit in a rocking mid-section, showing off their Hives influences to the maximum. Gabriel says: “The idea behind this song was just to be heavy all the way through without any ‘nice‘ bits. A reflection of the subject matter – this is a character assassination of the worst person you know. You want everyone to know how much they suck because they are so good at playing everyone.” ‘Stanger Danger‘ is an indie-rock song that brings this enjoyable and inventive album to a close.
‘A Brutal Nadir‘ features ten tracks to keep you well and truly on your toes, and will be available to the masses (as mentioned earlier) on January 30th. Buy your copy HERE on release date / pre-save for streaming HERE
Self Torque also have a few Iive dates on the horizon, and you can check them out at the following venues :
24th Jan – Hope & Ruin (Brighton) Sugar Free Records Party.
6th Feb – New River Studios (London) w/ Jay Cavalier & The Band.
7th Feb – The Library (Oxford) w/ Jay Cavalier & The Band.
8th Feb – The Hobbit (Southampton) w/ Jay Cavalier & The Band.
3-5th April – Manchester Punk Festival.
Self Torque - A Brutal Nadir album cover

1. Wicker Incident
2. Fortitude
3. (All The Things I) Wannabe
4. Del Shannon
5. Fade To Blank
6. Was Once A Waltz
7. Instrumental
8. Dill Temko
9. High Temperature Serpent
10. Stranger Danger

Follow Self Torque on Their Socials:
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