Nineties Nostalgia
While most CDs are accompanied by a brief and punchy press release, Walk On Water's release comes with a long history of the band; it's clear that you should understand the band's past before you listen to their present release. To start with it's not a recent release at all, but was recorded in 1996 and is the band's debut, despite the fact that they split up 11 years ago. The biography urges you to travel back in time to the 90's and remember the era of John Major's leadership and chaotic mood of the time. Unfortunately plenty of people who might now pick up this record won't be able to remember those times, so does the record stand alone in the 21st century?
If we're talking about tempestuous 90's psychedelic bands, Walk On Water give us little to make us love them above successful groups like The Jesus and Mary Chain and Brian Jonestown Massacre who really indulged in psychedelica. 'Pets' is a pleasant enough album; it feels distinctly low-fi and the female vocals have a distinct 90's post-punk edge, while crashing guitars ring, jangle and cry out.
'Perfume' is a pretty mix of sighing vocal harmonies and caustic vocals, "She sighed at me with her pretty eyes", all backed up by some firm rhythm guitar. 'Intermission' is a standout track with quirky, slightly discordant keyboards and tense percussion that leads into pretty verses before a fierce and frenetic coda. 'Madam' is another example of the brash, edgy indie punk with an emphasis on fuzzy soft guitar rock thrills.
'Pets' is a piece of classic nostalgia that will have plenty of people falling into pleasant 90's reveries, but the tunes feel distinctly dated to a modern audience and it's clear that Walk On Water haven't withstood the test of time all that well, compared to some of their contemporaries. Check 'Pets' out if you loved the 90's and brash, liberated female-fronted rock groups.