Bull has definitely passed the vibe check with their new debut album ‘Discover Effortless Living‘.
Released on March 26th alongside a UK tour announcement, Bull has stepped up their alternative rock game, receiving love from other influential British icons like Elton John and Declan McKenna. The album is 13 bangers long, including previously released singles like ‘Disco Living‘ and ‘Green‘, further showcasing the band’s refined songwriting style. Explaining the album’s title, Tom Beer (guitar, vocals) said:
“The title is taken from the opening lyric to the final track ‘Disco Living’. We wanted to use a lyric from the album and felt like this was a good one. I first saw the words in London, written on the side of a mansion being built and thought it was funny. It also ties in with ideas around class, new beginnings, a golden era of prosperity, and hoping to have life ‘in the bag’.”
The vocals and an overall feeling of sunshine are the biggest trump cards for Bull. All the way through the album, the band take full control of your emotions, channelling happiness and wanting you to just get a little zooted and vibe with them. They are the narrators – controlling the pace and mood on each track, flipping it when you least expect them to. ‘Bedroom Floor‘ is the first track on the album, sounding like the definition of a sunny day in your backyard, laying in the grass with your shades on. It is so soft and innocent, almost like the first day at an indie festival. The feeling shifts for the Beatles-sounding track ‘Love Goo‘, and a track that would be perfect on the soundtrack to a Bee Movie sequel, ‘Green‘.
For a new listener, Bull will be immediately appealing to the fans of Declan McKenna, Catfish and the Bottlemen or even The Drums, a sound immediately recognisable in ‘Shiny Bowl‘. They’re extremely easy to listen to, a band who would have fit perfectly into the Skins soundtrack. They are inspired by the likes of Pavement, Pixies and Yo La Tengo, experimenting with their sound since 2012. ‘Eugene’ is the emo kid in the family here, giving the feeling of ‘505‘ by the Arctic Monkeys. ‘Eugene’ is about the various stages of feeling down, ranging from lethargy to frustration and anger. This can be heard in the varying tempo and melodies, reflecting your mood changing. Beer says:
“I wrote this song when I was feeling dissatisfied with what I was doing. It’s kind of a self-hate song, you know when people talk about self-love? It’s not that. I’m slating myself; it moves through the key changes and different moods, and ends in a way that mocks the sadness, another form of self-deprecation!”
The music video for this song was made in collaboration with their artistic friends like Jack Iredale, Rory Welbrock, Roxy Linklater and Holly Beer, who are each talented in their own animation style. In fact, Dan (guitar) and Kai (bass) from the band themselves kicked things off with some DIY claymation before handing over the creative baton to the rest of the team.
My personal favourite track is ‘Eddie’s Cap’, a track which goes from all fun and games to their darkest, insane side in such a short space of time. Probably the Easter egg of the album, this track is the most colourful and fun, in terms of production. The little, funny screams grow into big, deep and serious ones, creating a psychedelic instrumental pathing after. The crowd would go mad hearing this one live. From this track forward, some nice melodic transitions start to take place, with ‘Serious Baby’ doing the same. As some of the songs are over 4 minutes long, I wish some of its transitions or darkest parts were separate singles or interludes. It takes quite some time for the transitions to kick in, usually appearing after the halfway mark. It would be nice to have a single track with these kickass sounds to listen to, where the noise and anger begins straight away. Their groovy Beatles feeling continues in ‘Perfect Teeth’ and ‘Bonzo Please’, providing some fantastic instrumental parts. It is important to provide space for all the band members to showcase their insane talents and passion for the music they live in.
This album is clearly designed for a self-discovery adventure, laying in the grass midway through an LSD trip or after smoking an innocent joint. You can feel the band smiling throughout the album, as though they are sitting in your room, giving you your own private gig. It’s no wonder that Bull has conquered hearts all over Europe, having performed a series of unforgettable shows in Germany and The Netherlands, letting others absorb their unique energy and love for life.
Bull’s UK tour begins September 2021, playing at The Lexington in London on the 29th.
