{"id":8211,"date":"2022-12-03T21:40:00","date_gmt":"2022-12-03T21:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ipamusic.co.uk\/?p=8211"},"modified":"2022-12-05T21:45:32","modified_gmt":"2022-12-05T21:45:32","slug":"the-inklings-produce-another-fine-slice-of-mature-post-punk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ipamusic.co.uk\/?p=8211","title":{"rendered":"The Inklings produce another fine slice of mature post-punk"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

ALBUM REVIEW: The Inklings – The Tunnel At The End Of The Light (self-released)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

The Inklings are a Teesside-based music collective formed by two members of now-defunct Billingham punk band Zeitgeist 77.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Darren Thomas (guitar and vocals) and Mick McGee (bass and vocals) are joined by Daz’s son James on drums, and they’re astonishingly prolific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is album number five from a band which was only formed in 2019, and they’ve really established their own identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They’re still influenced enormously by The Stranglers, but are growing in confidence and picking up new followers all the time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are proudly DIY, writing, performing and producing all their songs themselves, though The Stranglers remain an obvious inspiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Their previous album, last year’s Bring Out Your Dead<\/em> (reviewed here<\/a><\/strong>) was a step up on 2020’s Bricolage <\/em>(reviewed here<\/a><\/strong>) and that progress is maintained here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First track In The House Of The Fathers<\/em> sounds like it’s about to break into the opening chords of Pretty Vacant<\/em> before veering off in a different direction, and ends up sounding like – yep, you’ve guessed it, those men in black.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here To Stay<\/em>‘s intro reminds me of The Animals’ We Gotta Get Out Of This Place<\/em>, before it too heads off elsewhere, with a lovely meandering bassline and subtle organ flourishes underpinning the entire track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reggae-inflected Poundshop Jesus<\/em>, about the sort of fakers and on-the-makers who are always looking for new ways to fleece the unwary, is not just the best song on this album, but one of their best yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I love the chorus: “They call him the Poundshop Jesus, he stole the wood for his cross, as a signal of his virtue, you can pay for his next cause<\/em>.” Wonder if it’s based on a real person or a figment of The Inklings’ imagination?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another standout track among the 10 which make up The Tunnel<\/em>\u2026 is The Snake<\/em>, a faster number which is another cautionary tale about the sort of dodgy character you warn friends to avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last track Stop!<\/em> is especially poignant, as the closing drum tattoo was performed by long-time friend of the band Tracey Sneddon just two weeks before she passed away from cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

All in all, another very worthwhile addition to The Inklings’ canon of work, and I look forward to seeing what they come up with next. I’m sure it won’t be long! 7.5\/10<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n