It seems that the image of British bands in the 1990s that will forever stay with us is that of the petulant little Brit pop upstarts that clogged the charts. Thankfully that wasnt all this country had to offer in that decade and Delta Mainline are here to remind us of this fact with their new EP, the ludicrously titled, In a World Full of Madness, the Simple Joy of Melody Can Pull You Through. Delta Mainline offer four tracks full of tender pop moments, rich instrumentation and a certain heartfelt sincerity. Vital components of some of the great albums of the 1990s, with the most immediate comparison being Spiritualizeds Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating in Space.
These are tracks that, like Spiritualized or The Verves finest moments, would make so much sense in a festival field. They are sprawling musical landscapes, big enough to get lost in for hours. Take the opening track Here Comes the Light as a case in point, with its thunderous end section that swells into something enormous. A band that have not yet made a debut album have no right to be making songs that sound so accomplished and are so awash with ideas and intricate details.
What is most impressive about the band is their ability to give a track its own room. They give each song its own atmosphere and tone, a unique identity. This is most obvious on the last two songs. Firstly, Sheltered Life is a subtle hymn of a pop song. It brings to mind Blurs Tender or The Verve The Drugs Dont Work, with the lead singer providing a lyrical master class in bittersweet understatement. The song is all the more startling due to what follows because Sheltered Life is the calm before the storm and what a fantastic sounding storm it is. Holy Slow Train is a fierce monster of a track. It slowly stalks its prey, with the lead singer eerily counting up while a harmonica howls and mournful brass laments the event before the whole song drowns under thunderous drums and overdriven guitars.
As Holy Slow Train draws to a close it is evident that this EP is a promise, a promise that Delta Mainline will make a very special album within the next two years. Fingers crossed that they come good on this.