South Wales quintet Modern Neutrals offer up an exciting fusion of noise rock, indie and punk in a boisterous sound that they describe as “loud, emotional and distinctive.”
The Blackwood quintet started out with James Hale (vocalist and songwriter) and Rhys Jenkins (rhythm guitar and co-writer) forming an acoustic duo several years ago. They wrote some original music but largely played covers, before gradually expanding the band with Tom Legg (lead guitar), Reuben Browning (bass) and Lewys Hobden (drums).
On the sound they’ve crafted since, James told us: “This is (something) we have struggled with as a band for as long as I can remember. I imagine it’s the same for any band or artist, defining your own sound is a difficult one because you don’t want to box yourself in any particular genre, or you don’t want to be seen as trying to be someone else. Beyond that, I genuinely feel like we are a difficult band to categorise. At the core of it, Modern Neutrals are an alt rock band, but there are elements of noise rock, punk, and even a little funk sprinkled in. The one thing we guarantee is energy. We are a band that wears our hearts on our sleeves and we have become experienced in crafting atmosphere with our sound. That’s the cornerstone – energy, emotion, atmosphere.”
Our latest taste of this is Ain’t That Something, which was released on Friday (5 September). The track opens up with light floaty guitar notes over a bubbling bassline, which continue as James’ laidback vocals join in. The atmosphere begins to build with dreamy guitars through a catchy chorus, “It ain’t nothing, Ain’t that something,” before the guitars drop out for the start of the second verse. Light guitars creep back in, and a second chorus extends as heavier drums support atmospheric guitars and the track comes to a lively conclusion.
Speaking ahead of the release, James told us: “We can’t wait for people to finally hear Ain’t That Something. It’s a song that’s deeply personal to us as a band, and it’s one of our favourite songs to play live. At its core, ATS is a heartfelt rock ballad that explores the frustrations caused by those closest to us. It’s a song about understanding your own worth and learning to appreciate that life is never plain sailing. I think that the masterful work that our producer Jason Savory achieved, really captures the level of emotion that our audiences feel when we play it live. What can I say, I think it’s just a banger really, we are all really proud of it.”
Ain’t That Something follows on from last year’s single Blue, which builds up to a big rocky section of heavy guitars and heavier vocals, and 2022 EP Paradoxies & Agonies, from which we particularly like the catchy, more indie rock sounding Artless Ambition and the slow-building final track Cattle & Game.
The Modern Neutrals sound draws inspiration from a wide range of music, from the likes of The Cure, Radiohead, Nirvana, Arctic Monkeys, Fontaines D.C. and Queens of the Stone Age to various hip-hop artists. And James tells us Alex Turner is a huge influence “for his song writing and the way he plays with phonetics.”
And on what inspires them to write music, he explains: “A lot of our songs celebrate and explore working class life, and quite often the disparity between working class people and the most rich and powerful in our society. We are proud to have grown up in the South Wales valleys, but we are also very aware of the shortcomings we face from having not been born into excess wealth. We have written songs that highlight faults in Monarchies and Governments, and we’ve written songs that celebrate our identity as working-class Welshmen. We have a lot to say, but we want our music to be cathartic and genuine.”
Ain’t That Something is out now, and the band will be hosting a launch party for the single at Le Pub in Newport on Friday 19 September. They’ll also be announcing gigs from Ocotber onwards, before heading back into the studio to record two more singles. And James tells us: “Now is an exciting time to become a Neuts fan. We are just getting started.”
You can follow Modern Neutrals on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, and check out their music on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
Image credit: Kern Bridges
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