With six years of experience now in the bag, Pointy Features have finally released a full album to the world – and boy has it been worth the wait.
The brainchild of Durham guitarist Dan Leak, Pointy Features have worked hard to create their own identity based on a brazen blend of genres. The tracks on ‘Hill End’ don’t try to conform one way or another; instead, they dial in and out of blues, lo-fi, psychedelia, Americana and country of their own volition. It’s a wild concoction on paper, but Pointy Features make you wonder why it hasn’t been done before.
‘Open Seas’ – the record’s opening track – ushers in the familiarity of the bluesy sound the band has most notably made its name with before an electrified and attention-grabbing guitar solo steals the show.
Tracks ‘No Matter’ and ‘Trouble’ nod not-so-subtly to The Beatles, in particular, John Lennon. ‘No Matter’ is, for the most part, a creamy and whirring little jam session between Leak, Kieran Johnson, Ben Johnson and John Timney, but Kieran howls in a manner similar to Lennon on 1970s ‘John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band’. The execution is phenomenal. And ‘Trouble’ features something sounding like newly found, dusted down and remastered demos of ‘Don’t Let Me Down’.
Written about the drastic downturn in the economic output of the former mining city of Durham and the dying aspirations of the people who live there, ‘Old Coal Town’ is a tear-jerker, heartstring-puller and genuinely upsetting piece of music. Sadly, the music embodies the reality for many.
For anyone, a moment can feel like a lifetime when a situation is anything but plain sailing. ‘Losing My Way’ is an enormous five-minuter which captures the gruelling agony of being lost on the journey of life, providing a soundtrack for those irritating moments where a second takes a dozen to tick, and every problem intensifies in a bid to deteriorate the already deteriorated.
As a musical antidote to the lyrical despair, ‘Sonder’ is the artsiest piece on this record. The four lads work perfectly in harmony, with Kieran’s voice giving the track an added layer of vigour.
The final song on the record is anything but a placeholder album track. ‘Wishing Tree’ leans right into the furthest reaches of Americana and country, marrying the two genres together with effortless ease. The wishing tree in question is the final hope for someone without someone else. Lyrically, the song might paint a picture of destitution, but musically, it’s anything but. It’s thoughtfully composed, and with it being the last track on the record, it could easily act as a gateway into an exploratory land for Pointy Features to base their next material on.
A six-year wait for a debut album is quite the headline, but the payoff for Pointy Features is a beautifully crafted and genuine record which gives the band a calling card.
You can listen to the album now on all major streaming platforms.
