Rock Regeneration

May27

Album: “The Moral High Ground” by The Glorias

on May 27th, 2020 at 19:29

And so we are back again with the follow up to “Life’ll Get Ya” from Southsea’s finest. Those Glorias boys weren’t gonna sit still for long and present to us “The Moral High Ground”. Opening with “Magic Money Tree” which sounds like a live set-closer, it has an unmistakable Dirty RnR vibe, not unlike the previous album. Big guitar intro and snarly bass match a beckoning vocal, whilst those guitars just noodly whirl away. It’s quite immediate in tempo with its chugging beat and guitar snarl, while the noodly bridge doesn’t go unnoticed – a feature that will be replicated throughout the album. “Enemy Of The State” with its RnB guitar intro is somewhat slower. It feels less powerful as it chugs along, and the wispy guitars are the overriding feature before that clean vocal takes centre stage. More noodling before the bridge pulls it down another notch, then reappearing latterly taking the song to its conclusion.

“Glorious” opens with a clunky singalong vibe while the drum intro doffs its cap to Janie Jones (The Clash). This is boot boy Glam/Punk, showing another string to their respective bows. The drums are frenetic, the guitars thrash away in the background and once again that noodly mid-section. It’s a good time singalong, anthemic fun number – a shoe-in for the live arena. I love the way it breaks off, only to return as a makeshift “encore” – a clever touch. It’s as euphoric as it is patriotic and will be a crowd-pleaser.

“Better Than This” returns to more familiar territory with that whole Pub/Rock sound I once alluded to. Stretched chords; occasional noodles, matched to a vocal that soars above. In parts the guitars remind me of Steve Jones; and if the song is about ambition then they are reaching high, while the ending is superb.

“Slowdive” is an apt title if only for taking the tempo back down once more. It’s a woozy number with guitars steeped in (to me) Mid 70’s Rock. The bass clicks away with subtlety in the background while the drums are moderately efficient. I still haven’t worked out if the theme is nautical or otherwise but the ending is subtle. “Look The Other Way” returns the power with a chunky guitar sound and stomping beat. It reeks of Pub/Rock with those husky, nicotine-stained vocals being the key element. Another diversion into noodling hasn’t gone unnoticed alongside that clicky background bass, which features latterly too.

“All I Want” employs a Post/Punk guitar intro, paired with a snarly bass and a clean vocal that seems so effortless – layered yet never rising above the confident instrumentation. Those guitars just clang away in the background as the chorus elevates itself. It’s vaguely echoey and questioning and one of the finer cuts on this collection. “Can’t Stand The Reign” closes this eight-song collection with a rasping guitar intro that builds and builds before those gravelly vocals kick in. More vocal layering over a delicate bass and scratchy chords, twisting away throughout. Beyond the bridge the noodling would suggest experimentation with their sound. I find the chorus a smidge repetitive, however with more noodling to its conclusion it still kind of works.

Two years on from “Life’ll Get Ya” and The Glorias are not resting on their laurels. They continue to gig hard and recently secured a spot on the “Rebellion Introducing Stage”. The debut was always going to be a hard act to follow but on this the follow-up they just about manage it. The artwork reminds me of Indie scenesters The Enemy but any similarities end there. The great thing about The Glorias is their ability to push boundaries and explore the genre’s they take influence from. The core sound is still there but they are clearly moving forward. Once the whole Covid-19 thing has settled, one hopes they can get back to what they do best – gigging. Until then, enjoy these eight new songs and support independent music.