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Released on June 29, 2015 via Solar Flare Records
It’s true what they say – if you live long enough you will one day see your heroes being emulated by French upstarts.
Ok, maybe they don’t. But if they did then this would be a perfect example. In this case the heroes in question being the post-hardcore/alt-rock bands of the 90s/early 00s – Quicksand, Jawbox, Hum, Failure et al – and the French upstarts are Watertank. If you were listening to that sort of thing Back In The Day then these guys will sound immediately familiar – the driving opening chords of ‘Automatic Reset’ sound like a forgotten gem you might have heard on a Kerrang! or Rock Sound cover CD amidst the death rattle of nu-metal and the token ‘extreme’ metal bands. The only thing that separates them from being a Revelation Records heritage act is a love of fuzzed out, bass heavy riffs that sound a lot like Torche – a comparison bolstered by Thomas B having a similar tone and economical vocal delivery to Torche/Floor mainman Steve Brooks.
Destination Unknown is only the second record in the Nantes’ bands less-than-productive decade long existence (the first landing in 2013) and was apparently recorded in something of a hurry. I’m not sure what sparked them into life and knock out an album so quickly but judging by the results speed and brevity suit them well – the record breezes by in not much more than half an hour but is crammed full of neat vocal hooks and powerhouse riffing. ‘Contrails’ was the first track to have me going back to the well for further listens, its bright mid paced riff and big warm vocals stoking the nostalgia in my ageing heart as well as getting the head nodding and lips mouthing the words.
Then further listens revealed further gems – ‘DVCR’ is a melodic punk belter that makes me hope the upcoming Tony Hawks Pro Skater reboot is a success so I can make sure it takes it’s rightful place as the soundtrack to high score grinding sessions, and single ‘Surrender’ belies its moody black and white video with sweet harmonies to complement its thudding stoner-ish assault. It’s a brief record that can wash over you before much of it has had a chance to claim a place in your memory – but repeat listens reveal a record worth paying attention to.
Watertank seem to get talked up as a heavier prospect than they are – most likely thanks to sharing stages with the likes of Torche, Kylesa, Baroness and The Ocean. Whilst the second half of the record ramps up the riffery in truth they’re a post-hardcore band in sludgey clothing – those rich, warm chords and sombre lyrics dressed up in poppy vocal lines don’t lie. Whilst they’re pretty derivative Destination Unknown is a hard record not to like, even when your mind drifts to the bands who they’ve drawn so much from. If you find yourself listening back to Manic Compression or Fantastic Planet now and again and thinking to yourself, “they don’t make ‘em like this anymore,” you can rest assured that, actually, they do. And, whilst it may have taken them a while for Watertank to get going, they’re starting to do so rather well.
