Album Review: Artisan Guns - Coral

Auckland four-piece Artisan Guns have been making a name for themselves alongside other vibrant emerging indie artists in their island home. Their dreary take on Crowded House's Private Universe for the They Will Have Their Way tribute series was a strong indication for the kind of sparse, shoegazey sound they're all about. While their debut Coral steadfastly reinforces their penchant for washed out tones and emotively languid delivery, it makes for a pretty arduous listen, despite the array of likeable melodies and intimate production on offer.

There's a bagload of textural elements to sink your teeth into, mind; the electronic fanfare that births Rain In Summer quickly gives way to meandering guitar twangs and a build-up of hazy drawls, piping “Rain in summer seeps into my skin, now it's over, it will never be back again”. The way singer Matthew Hope continually plays the feelgood vibe of a song off the back of jarring, grating, but sometimes sweetly melodic vocal lines like this, and vice versa, aids in the creation of the album's psyche, especially when his pipes simply pare down the middle of tracks Baby Blue and single Pulled You In, parting the steady pace and chugging bass of basically the most rocking songs on the album.

Part of the problem is that while Hope admirably underlines some pretty honest and grim lyrics with that voice of his, the album suffers as a result of a delivery too heavily relied upon, and the whole thing just becomes very tedious. It's a shame; there are moments to relish here, which is supremely frustrating, as there's evidence of something more interesting lurking just beyond the album's perimeter.