Governors of California aren't short of energy. In fact, it's probably their environmental duty to look into powering their (probably raucous) shows with their own enthusiasm. Seconds into the first track, you can almost hear the band clambering over one another in excitement.
Shame then, that practically every idea on this release was pioneered, publicised and subsequently discarded by someone else. Jagged, angular verses roll into smooth-but-ferocious anthemic choruses, a-la At The Drive-In. Frantically melodic guitar is juxtaposed against a backdrop of purposefully awkward rhythms. It tears along at a breathtaking pace and is executed competently. Unfortunately, in the park where GOC are playing, this is stock stuff. Like watching a magician booked from a newsagent's noticeboard, GOC perform all of the old tricks and add nothing to define them as their own. It will fit comfortably within Lockjaw's roster, though. And, although it will never be the Worcester label's trump card, diehard Lockjaw fans won't be disappointed with this release.
I'd bet a months wages, though, that Governors of California can pull it out of the bag live. In a tiny, crowded sweatbox of a venue this is the kind of thing I could happily get caught up in and thoroughly enjoy. On record they are solid, competent, and reliable, but, unfortunately, unfulfilling.
Pressure Points is released on the 21st of May through
Lockjaw Records.
