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THE DRAYMIN - Pushing Boundaries CD-EP


Along with Airpsiel and Capstin Pole, one of the indie bands from outside of Dundee tipped as the brightest hopes for the next big thing on the UK scene, certainly up there with the best the UK has to offer. The Draymin, however, have sealed their place at the top of the tree with this absolutely faultless 4-track CD-EP. Everything about these songs is magnificent – from the production to the writing, the arranging to the playing – just fantastic. Opening with “We Wanna Go Out”, they immediately let you know they're around with ringing electric guitar lead under which the rhythmic current flows as the vocals positively soar on top, and a song that amounts to an anthem, starts to build as the wordless hook takes off. The introduction of a searing and brief guitar riff powers things up before the song reverts to the verse, then allies the hook to the riffing, while all the while that ringing guitar lead is stuck in your head like a warm memory. The song is strong, it twists and turns, it's commercial but has a heart of solid steel, and, above all, is the consummate mix of strength and restraint, balancing power and passion in equal and excellent measure. The second track, “Don't Let It” is an altogether mightier, angrier beast. Another anthem for sure, but this time it ragews and rolls, with a scorching riffing undertow that carries you along in its wake as the buzz-saw guitar, heady bass and pounding drums are topped with that red hot vocal performance, full of emotion and angst, another insanely catchy hook as chorus, multi-tracked harmony vocals and a searing rhythm guitar that cuts right through the performance. It's loud, proud and absolutely the stuff to be turned up loud and let everyone know how good this band are. “Look Again” immediately wastes no time – these guys never waste a second - as it takes off into the most emotive song on the album, a series of ascending and descending guitar lines rolling things along while the rhythm rides along and that ringing guitar lead, slightly lower in pitch, carves subtle lines in the rock face, as the vocal just soars, full of its amazing mix of power and passion, on a track with a hook that refuses to let go as it reels you in and has you firmly placed in the keep net. A truly glorious song which dives along in unstopable fashion with arrangements that are tasty and strong, full of depth and bite, that's nothing less than awesome every time you play it. The final track, “Making Lists”, while equally as strong as the rest, is, in essence, more reflective, but if you thing that makes it any less powerful, think again, Between that sky-high lead guitar, the surge of riffing rhythm guitar, the drive of the rhythm section and the searing heat of the vocals, this is a song that take you firmly by the throat and travels inexorably into your heart. Overall, it's amazing – and the even better bit is that they've got songs in their arsenal that are even stronger than these – ensuing that it can't be long before we're talking about the Draymin in the same breath as The Kaisers, The Arctic Monkeys and beyond.

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