The long dry January is almost over, and with it comes a new acoustic album from Pet Needs! After a fantastic year of touring following their February release of the album “Intermittent Fast Living”, this alt/punk four piece from Colchester, Essex took themselves away to the tiny Welsh village of Borth along with Mike West to create an acoustic record of all their favourite tunes from their previous three albums. Featuring four songs from each title, this is as full of the bands personality as it gets.
Starting with 'Outline' from their 2021 debut album 'Fractured Party Music', you are immediately introduced to an acoustic single that shows acoustic doesn’t have to mean slow and brooding, but can in fact take everything from a loud, punk perspective, unplug it and become a raw, vulnerable hit. The other singles from 'Fractured Party Music' are 'Scratch Card', which shows off some extraordinary guitar and banjo work, and later in the album comes a personal favourite from both that record and this album, 'Punk Isn’t Dead (It’s Just up for Sale)' which is already available to listen to on all the usual streaming platforms! This then flows seamlessly into the final song of the record, 'Overcompensating'.
Before the mid-point, you’re treated to the single 'Ibiza in Winter' from their 2022 Frank Turner- produced album 'Primetime Entertainment', which slows down to give you something to sing along with at the top of your lungs. Completely changing the pace at the mid-way mark, there is 'Fear for the Whole Damn World', which may well be the most emotional song on the album. The lyrics are the stand-out throughout this song, complimented by the beautiful piano playing. This blends perfectly into 'Lost Again' where they pick back up the guitar and turn up the volume for an incredible start to the second half of the album.
From their most recent record 'Intermittent Fast Living', the band chose to feature the single 'Fingernails' to really get you out your seat and up dancing. 'The Burning Building' has some guitar work which really needs to be commended alongside the passionate vocals from lead Johnny Mariott. The two other singles from 'Intermittent Fast Living' chosen by the band for this album are 'The Age That You Were' and 'Self-Restraint'.
This album sums up the collective effort the group have put in over the last few years, whilst also giving them some breathing space to get creative and enjoy their own work in other ways. If you’re a fan already, you’re going to love what they’ve done with this, and if you’re new to Pet Needs, this is the perfect album to summarise their last 3 records and show you what they’re capable of.
'Kind of Acoustic' is out on January 24th via Xtra Mile Recordings.
Words: Laura Hughes
Photos: Pet Needs
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