Cazals – What Of Our Future

• 30th May 2008

The problem with most indie music these days is a lack of originality. Too many bands simply churn out identikit guitar-pop beats and inoffensive vocals, throw in a singalong chorus and become instantly loved by some and despised by others. Cazals manage to avoid such clichés. If you think Bloc Party-meets-Fugazi you won’t be too far off from this London quintet’s sound.

On their website, Cazals write that we should forget what we know about their past. This means we should ignore that they have known Pete Doherty since childhood and two members have guested on Nathan Barley. Ignoring such trivia is probably useful, as on the strength of ‘What of Our Future’ Cazals appear to be more than just a flash in the pan.

The band show their versatility throughout the album, at times providing festival-worthy choruses but without ever compromising their integrity, while at other times letting their stylish vocals and lyrical precision do the talking. Highlights include recent single ‘To Cut A Long Story Short’ and the more electronic ‘A Big Mistake’, but they show they can do more subdued, lo-fi music with the stunning closer ‘Time of Our Lives’.

What of their future? Well on the strength of this album Cazals should have a lot of success to look forward to. They have that rare commodity of originality and they know how to use it.