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Contemporary pop/rock can often fall at the first hurdle because too much of it is too familiar – where have all the surprises gone to? Cue the arrival of Shields, a Newcastle-upon-Tyne band that has slowly been nuzzling the neck of the mainstream.
It has taken some time for the band to get around to completing their debut album – oddly, their 2012 single, Mezzanine, is included here. The wait, nonetheless, has been worth it, especially when you take into consideration that the likes of Everything Everything and Foals have taken on the indie/electro pop/rock game and beaten it hands down.
Shields might well do the same – the likes of Mezzanine, Face to Face, the title track and Alive are singular examples of a genre that’s often too conformist for its own good.
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