Reviews of "I'm Your Boyfriend Now"

Lets just start by saying that this particular release is going to split opinion between howls of derision or delight depending on which side of the fence you happen to be decamped in. The debut single no less by Cheltenham duo Tony and Paul AKA Tall Pony and dare we say another celebrated corker of a release from those rather nice people at Cherryade records. Literally arrived this morning this did and frankly we've spent the day trying to wrestle it off the hi-fi. Odd, eerie, very un - PC (as in political correctness and not personal computer) and wildly tongue in cheek (we hope). This cut achieved a fair amount of apparent notoriety when it was picked up by Radio 1's Huw Stephens late last year and therein became the most requested track on his show leading the duo to release it as a limited 3 track CD which sold out faster than most could say "shit my pants are on fire!!" while wrapping up the year with a debut appearance  / gig at BBC Maida Vale and the topping of the re-activated Festive 50 via Dandelion Radio. Not bad eh? Listening to these three cuts its quite obvious that Messrs Towey and Gage have a fair amount of unresolved issues that need exorcising - twisted tales of neighbourhoods from hell and domestic subservience paint a graphic spite ridden picture that quite frankly we haven't heard the like of since those all important and crucial Foreheads in a Fishtank releases from the early 90s. Sound wise "I'm your boyfriend now" is a distant half cousin of Landscape's "Norman Bates" - a locked looping austere gem recanting a misogynist manual, edgy and icily monochrome this deceptively catchy numbing nugget is creepily braided with a sinister sounding monotone vocal that chills to come across like some wayward brain washing technique - the lyrics of a no nonsense bloke stance - new girlfriend dictating to her what she should and should not wear, say, do sound quaintly amusing though the male species among you may do well not to take this impishness at face value for fear of wearing a frying pan. Over on the flip "Big Guns" awaits, gnarled, twisted not so much angular but rather more beaten out of shape - think of it as a thrift shop version of Led Zeppelin's "Kashmir" and we'll say no more. Giving it the middle finger "I hate your family" just oozes bile and hatred - a detached and scuffed up scuzzy vomit venting roll call that sounds like it was tuned up not so much with a fork but a chopstick (and even that was snapped in half), a wonderfully seedy pictorial image of dysfunctional family life and with that easily deserving of the deputy single of the missive.

Mark for Losing Today.

Wow - this is lo-fi, even for the experimental Cherryade label. But even though it sounds like it has been recorded on a dictaphone, 'I'm Your Boyfriend Now' is a clever piece of cynicism about the nature of being in a relationship. A deadpan mantra of demands from the male party such as 'you will not talk too much, especially in the morning', 'we will talk about wars, cars and football', 'I am your boyfriend now, say goodbye to your mother' would be comical were it not for the slightly disturbing alien background track. Quite brilliant.

EP 'fillers' 'Big Guns' and 'I hate Your Family' display a similar fascination with lo-fi and simple song construction, though the former has a grandiose quality due to big distorted drum sounds. If Tall Pony only get three tracks out every three years then at least they are this good. I'll leave you with this line from 'I Hate Your Family'...'You think you are interesting and unusual but you're just thick'...amen to that.

SB for Tasty.