Alpha Male Tea Party – Real Ales & Model Rail: A Lonely Man's Guide to Not Committing Suicide EP

Single Review by Chris Buckle | 14 Aug 2013
Single title: Real Ales & Model Rail: A Lonely Man's Guide to Not Committing Suicide EP
Artist: Alpha Male Tea Party
Label: Superstart Destroyer Records
Release date: 26 Aug

Applying choppy time signatures to millennial Britrock in the Hell Is for Heroes/Hundred Reasons vein, Alpha Male Tea Party satisfyingly expand upon the raw sounds of debut AMTP on this five-track follow-up. The slow-build post-rock of opener I Don’t Even Like Hollyoaks Anyway creates a strong if ultimately misleading first impression, it’s tuneful sweep downplaying the band’s heavier tendencies.

As it bleeds directly into Taste like Dog, the hefty riffs that are the Liverpool trio’s forte rear up, with erratic rhythms showcasing the band at their most ‘math.’ Also deserving mention is Go To the Ant, You Sluggard: more vocal-led than their usual fare, it’s the track most likely to enlarge their fan-base thanks to a sleekly accessible chorus. [Chris Buckle]

http://alphamaleteaparty.bandcamp.com