The past few years, Dutch post-punk five-piece Tramhaus quickly made a name for itself with strong short format releases, such as I Don’t Sweat, The Goat and Rotterdam, but even more so thanks to countless captivating live shows. They could have chosen to make a compilation of their earlier work, but instead this debut LP – The First Exit – consists of nine brand new original songs, loosely centered around the multifaceted themes of coming out and liberation. The album title is derived from The Big Blowout, whose lyrics reflect this listening experience well: “Excitement lurks at every turn, moderation I should’ve learned // Consequences seem like something I can’t wrap my head around // The first exit, direction east, risk I will love to see increase // Realizing I’m in need to wrap my head around.” The band has developed its own recognizable sound, dynamic and irrepressible. Both the awesome guitar interplay and the cool vocals alternate semi-nonchalant restraint with urgent outbursts, from dormant and enchanting to noisy and explosive. Also in long format fascinating all the way through.
The First Exit, recorded by Floyd Atema, is out now digitally, on CD and vinyl, LP through Subroutine Records.
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