The Flints—Jewel of the North

The Flints are Manchester-born siblings George and Henry Flint, and this is their second EP.

There was something about the opening track, "Tomorrow's Yesterday". It has a smooth opening with a funky bass track, which evoked some kind of caper movie, with the heist in full swing. Certainly one for those looking for music to be used in TV or movie soundtracks. It has a very 90s feel, reminding me of the Happy Mondays, but with a smoother, less ribald attitude. When it lets go, it's like a slap in the face, before reverting back. Very interesting track.

When "The Cold of You" opened, the strings were like something from "Moon River", but they were fleeting and, once the track got underway, it was very much led by drums and subtle bass. The vocals switch between soft and a touch breathless, to something with a little more attitude, but they're never allowed to alienate the rest of the track, which is on the whole pretty chill.

The vocals on "Don't Wanna Be Your Drug" give way to something a little rockier, but the harder edge is offset by softer vocals that alternate. It results in an interesting fusion of two styles that work very effectively together, though don't quite hit in the same way as the previous two tracks.

The intro to "Hold On Me" set expectations for one kind of track, but it quickly morphed into something a little more pop-tinged, with softer vocals. The track itself is pleasant enough, but it doesn't quite sit at the same level as the tracks so far.

The same couldn't be said for "The Time Is Now", which has that harder edge, which I feel much more comfortable with. Again, the vocals switch between two distinct flavours, but it's the music that serves as the glue. This feels very much like the kind of track that would be good in a club, booming out over the massive speakers.

And unusually, we finish with the title track, "Jewel Of The North". I would usually expect the title track to be a statement of the band's sound and direction, but it's a much more mellow outing. Not that that's a criticism. Many bands prefer not to be pigeonholed, but regardless, this is one of the more relaxed tracks and a perfect way to close things out.

I really enjoyed this EP, but being an old-school music listener, I'm very much into the flow, which I don't quite think this EP was able to achieve. As always, it's subjective, but perhaps it's something worth giving some thought to when working on the hopefully not too distant album.