If you like your rock with a heavy dose of blues infused into it, then you may want to check out the debut album from Sydney-siders, Interim. There was a time for some rock fans when the blues left a nasty taste in their mouth, but bands like 72 Blues over the years have shown that when you find the right mix of hard rock and the blues, it can sound like one hell of a fun riot. And that is exactly what happens here with Interim’s Escapism.
There is something very special about this album that hits you very early on. Opening track “Molly” is as catchy as all hell and quickly draws the listener in while the blues explosion that is Interim hits well and truly with “Moonshine”. That blues drive continues with “Old Thrills” which also sees some nice fuzzy guitar work from James Basnett and Lachlan Beeke.
As I said earlier, there is a powerful blues influence on Escapism – “Calling Me Back” and “Sundays” are tracks that are going to be lapped up by anybody that loves Rag ‘N’ Bone Man while “She’s The Devil” and “Sundays” is pure blues with grunt. The latter also contains some pretty decent grunge sounds seeping in as well.
Tracks like “Millenial Blues”, “Daytripper” and “Loving Hands” show a rockier side to Interim while the slower “When The Day Is Long” is one of the most romantic songs that you are ever going to hear this year. The smoothness of “Scarlett” makes you fall in love with Interim in an instant, but it is the amazing guitar riffs on “She Said” that show that this is going to be a band that is going to be around for a few years yet.
Escapism is a promising album that shows why Interim is a band that every Aussie rock fan needs to know about. Radio stations listen up because this is a smooth album just begging for airplay.
