From forward-thinking Brighton three-piece Ranting comes the new single, the fantastically titled “Grumpy Custard”.
Coming across musically a bit like a cross between Django Django, Royal Blood, and Blur, there is an undeniably English undertone to the whole affair.
Vocalist Adam Macaulay sits somewhere between Damon Albarn and Hayden Thorpe stylistically, and the overall tone of the song fluctuates pretty wildly. There are spooky moments as well as some ragged ones, some smoother bits, harsh noise, and much more. The result is something that feels fresh, unique, and exciting.
The relationship between the rhythm sections individuals – that’ll be Joel Stubbs on bass and George Collins providing drums – is seemingly watertight, and it keeps the tune feeling loose enough but at the same time completely together.
The Specials, Idles, Arctic Monkeys, Pulp, Klaxons: Grumpy Custard oscillates between these massively influential – and rather fantastic – British rock bands, but (crucially) without sounding like just any one of them. These influences are all rolled into one and combined with a distinctively British-feeling, wry sense of humour and tongue-in-cheek approach, which makes the whole thing that much more endearing.
Lyrically, the song is about “feeling a bit bleak one day” and is centred around some over-the-top catastrophisation. But with support from BBC Introducing Sussex & Surrey and banging tunes like this one, we’d say Ranting have plenty to feel positive about. Take a listen to “Grumpy Custard” below.
Written by Kinda Grizzly
Written by Kinda Grizzly