Album Review: The LaFontaines - 'Business As Usual'
The LaFontaines - the band’s fourth offering really is Business As Usual.
The LaFontaines are an interesting trio. With a rapping frontman in Kerr Okan, and the raspy brilliance of drummer Jamie Keenan’s vocals, the band aren’t really your typical Scottish offering (if such a thing exists!). Their tracks, from their three albums and beyond, run the gambit of catchy earworms, strangely emotional ballads and everything in between — but it’s not necessarily their tracks that have made them such a beloved UK offering. It’s their live shows. Their inimitable charisma and rapport with the audience is paramount to the band; cheeky grins and strides brimming with swagger, you’d be hard pressed to find a band more beloved by their small yet devout legions of fans. ‘Business As Usual’ seems to carry at least some of the same cocky energy, yet also stands on the strength of times gone by.
Few of the tracks have that sense of urgency that earlier works have, either in a sense of combined vocals (Class’s ‘Junior Dragon’) or Kerr’s auditory assault (Junior’s ‘Alpha’), instead leaning into McCaughey’s almost nostalgic production values; ‘Where They Know My Name’, in particular, begins with the impression of changing channels on an old television set, the earworm of a dance number ringing throughout, all buried under a name that even indirectly brings the classic TV Series ‘Cheers’ to mind. The earnest, emotional crooning of Jamie wars with Kerr’s distinctive rap for stand-out vocals in opener and title track ‘Business As Usual’; the slightly cheesy, club-music vibes of ‘Since You Made A Move’ help hide the foreboding lyrics contained within; a droning bass line adds a level of anxious urgency to otherwise slow-paced ‘Keep Me On The Outside’.
Closer ‘Overstayed My Welcome’, meanwhile, feels like the perfect, crowd-swaying finale to a live gig, Jamie’s vocals and gentle drum beat giving way to an instant crowd pleaser.
The album comes off the back of a string of shows; some ‘normal’ ones, sure, by way of a week of in-store acoustic performances, culminating at a recently upgraded show at Banquet Records’ Fighting Cocks in Kingston, or their recently announced headline tour in September, but also a few, incredibly special one offs — and sure, a London show celebrating Scotland’s appearances at the Euros is cool and all, but what’s more LaFontaines than a family-friendly show at Glasgow’s InflataNation — a soft play, inflatable theme park?!
Between harking back to the halcyon days of old, and the album’s distinctly upbeat sensibilities, it’s sure to be a true hit of the Summer.
Words by James O’Sullivan
