The LaFontaines – Common Problem

The second album from The LaFontaines tackles some big issues, with production that gives the music the punch its lyricism deserves.

Album Review by Eala Macalister | 23 Oct 2017
Album title: Common Problem
Artist: The LaFontaines
Label: A Wolf at Your Door Records
Release date: 27 Oct

The LaFontaines have looked out at the country and the wider world and found it lacking.

On their second album, Common Problem, the four-piece take aim at everything from Brexit to Scotland’s rubbish weather, and that's just on opener Explosion which is the most venomous this album gets. This leads to a much darker album than 2015's debut, Class, with frontman Kerr Okam admiting they’re not as young and naive as they used to be. Sharp lyrics twinned with a rock backing make for a surprisingly original sound.

Lead single Asleep describes the way much of the country has felt following recent events at home and across the world. ‘I’ve been asleep in a daze’, and ‘Everything they told me was wrong, fuck that.’ Accompanied by a subtle drumbeat that builds to a crashing climax, it’s one of many songs that will get the crowds going at The LaFontaines’ famed live shows.

Common Problem stops short of being a concept album despite the band claiming it’s a reaction to touring the world and finding a common problem or, judging by the record, several common problems. It's a mature record that isn't afraid to tackle the big issues even if it doesn't always completely pull it off. Common Problem doesn't let up from the first beat of Explosion until the last lyric of Asleep, making it an intense listen. The high production values, courtesy of The Courteeners' Joe Cross, also help give Common Problem the punch the lyrics deserve.

Listen to: Expolsion, Common Problem, Asleep

http://www.thelafontaines.co.uk/