Charlottefield comes from Hastings, England and plays a noisy post-hardcore which brings us back to early Unwound. Their debut album entitled How Long Are You Staying ? is a blend of staccato, fierce guitar riffs, potent bass, half-disillusioned - half-irritated voice, inventive drums (well, taking into account that there are two drummers in the band, let’s just say that they undoubtedly complement one another and do the job).

The opener, ‘Nine Tails’ is convulsively yet constantly moving forward, driven or should-I-say shaken off by staccato sharp riffs and anguished howls which the band playing behind does not seem to even notice at the beginning. This song is the most original, lost in-between anguishes of old-school emocore and post-punk’s catchy aspect. The other tracks are great but always refer to bands we loved and miss: early Unwound (‘Again’), early Jesus Lizard (11 th day’), early Fugazi (‘Clipper’), without mentioning a few others. Instrumental tracks provide rest for the listener’s ears while maintaining tension and underlying menacing atmosphere.

If not original, Charlottefield pays tribute to the genre and, in less than thirty minutes, How long Are You Staying ? manages to make you want to see the band live.

-SEB ‘one-way ticket’ WOOd.

/december 2005/