French Alps Tiger - 'Tell A Lie' — When The Horn Blows

French Alps Tiger deliver a dose of West Coast inspired surf-punk from South Wales on new single, ‘Tell A Lie’.

The first thing you probably need to know about French Alps Tiger is that they have a sense of humour. For instance, the band claims the name originates from the “elusive tiger found in the French Alps of South Wales”. French Alps Tiger are interesting before you hear anything by them.

‘Tell a Lie’, their debut single, is about wanting to break up with someone – fair enough, it’s not the first and not the last song to delve into this subject. But it’s about liking their parents and letting them down – “What’s your mum gonna do if I choose to lose you? / I don’t feel I have to tell a lie”. In a sense, ‘Tell a Lie’ lyrically is on par with great “parent songs” such as ‘Stacey’s Mom’ and ’She’s Electric’.

Musically, French Alps Tiger are influenced by the west coast surf punk bands such as FIDLAR. But they aren’t typical bratty punks. They write intelligent and catchy melodies, similar to Pixies. The guitar solo in ‘Tell a Lie’ is melodic and serves the song perfectly – it’s as if Joey Santiago dropped by for the recording. Therefore, ‘Tell a Lie’ is like a Pixies single, such as ‘Debaser’ or ‘Monkey Gone to Heaven’. The song also has a raw and live feel, which makes sense as it was recorded in a friend’s garage. Proper DIY punk rock.

French Alps Tiger are a fun band to take seriously. There is a child-like wonder in ‘Tell a Lie’ that makes it charming and everyone can get into it. The sense of humour and silliness doesn’t overshadow the music, as the music, so far, is superb.

Words of Matthew Brocklehurst