Balancing Act share debut album ‘Who’ve You Come As? (Part 1)’
The first part of the London four-piece’s debut album is filled with enticing and mysterious indie-rock that entraps the listener in their gothic and chic world.
★★★½☆
Photo: Indy Brewer
Balancing Act have learned to embrace what can be such a threatening imposition for an indie-rock band: the darkness. Both in their dark-horse, under-the-radar potential, and in the brooding and sexy spin they place on their alternative-rock anthems. There’s an enigmatic, theatrical and contemporary buzz surrounding the London-based group, which has been building for years, culminating in the release of ‘Part 1’ of their debut album, Who’ve You Come As?. The mystery behind its split release remains intact, alas, Part 1 has arrived with swooning guitars and a playfully gothic tone, serving us a small helping of clues as to who Balancing Act have come as.
Talks A Lot serves as a coyly ironic title for an opener with its sly nature that prefers to hold its tongue. Its lyricism is born of alluring intrigue, leaving the listener wanting more as frontman Kai Roberts spins a tale of an infatuation he holds for a sparsely defined, dreaming partner. The mysterious nature sets the tone for the album, intimately introducing listeners to the playfully mischievous brand of indie-rock that Balancing Act have begun to garner a reputation for. The tongue-in-cheek gloominess that dances on the instrumentation of the track is a truly enticing appetiser for listeners to taste.
Standout track Scar unabashedly draws back the mysterious drapes, which shrouded the opener in a cloak of thinly-veiled edginess and darkness, gloriously allowing itself to bask in the glow of class anthemic indie-rock. Earning its degree from the Sam Fender school of “oohs” and “woahs”, Scar is as catchy as they come, with welcoming and singable hooks which crowds can only hang onto, taking up residency as the band’s fifth member throughout the 3:15 runtime. Standing tall as undoubtedly the highlight of the album, its familiar and tasteful melodies wouldn’t feel out of place in the discography of any of the fan favourite indie-rock sweethearts from the last fifteen years. Ultimately, though, this serves as a double-edged sword, with its replayability being unmistakable to the point where it struggles to blend in with the cynical and brooding cheek that is baked into every other track.
The remaining singles, Bonneville Salt Flat Jive and Had Another Mare, return to the eerie and teasing tone the opener laid out. The former tip-toes through tantalising verses under a haunting guise to mask the yearning that Roberts appears too cool to admit to: “Come with me and take my hand / I’m the cool rider for you”. This childish unwillingness to commit continues into Had Another Mare, which is fitted with playground-esque “la-la-las” that taunt the listener. Whilst some may consider this disingenuous, the boyish charm the band possesses fits them like a glove. It’s playful, camp and chic in all the right ways.
Mr Handsome is coloured in shades of Alex Turner, with Roberts producing dulcet drawls throughout the verses that are reminiscent of the cult indie hero. The arrangement of the track courteously tips its hat to the early Humbug and Suck It And See era of Arctic Monkeys as a whole, with its crooning vocals laying atop fluttering guitars and a strutting bassline. Its swagger is timely in the mix, adding an air of levity through its self-assured nature that gives the listener a breather from the wicked vibe laced throughout the earlier tracks.
Quebec and The Breaks draw Part 1 of the debut to a close. Quebec is a startling reminder of the confidence the young band possesses. Roberts’ sweet and sultry vocals run in tandem with an assured beat, both of which are spliced with a boldly selected voicemail voiceover. Similarly, The Breaks is a worthy closer. Its perky bassline creates skittish verses which grow self-assured and appropriately crescendo into theatrical choruses complete with grandiose vocals. A conclusion worthy of the grandest of stages.
On Part 1 of their debut, Balancing Act grapple with the chase and where it takes a person. The narrator’s desire is tangible in every track, landing halfway between a boyish impulse and a devilish ache. The cynical edge of each track, however, is unfortunately slightly blunt. The bold tone they set out to capture, whilst intriguing and fresh, is at times lacking in bite, feeling far from sinister but certainly remaining slick. Praise must be given to the London four-piece, though; the weaving melodies capture a menacing twang to them that gives the listener a novel sensation in comparison to the vast amount of safe and uninspired riffs that curse the genre at present, all the while remaining palatable.
Part 2 stands at a crossroads — will it free the anthemic side of Balancing Act to soar like how Scar and previous fan favourite She Plays The Theremin threatened to? Or will it commit to the bitter darkness that infects a number of Part 1 tunes? Whichever they choose, it remains a certainty that Balancing Act are an undeniably exciting prospect with the capacity to impress, innovate and entice.
Who’ve You Come As? (Part 1) is out now.