Southampton based five-piece The Lost Boys’ latest single, China In The Sink, drips with the wit and swagger so often pined for, but lacking from many new British guitar bands. The latest in the line of anthemic indie-pop singles generating hearty swathes of support up and down the country, including the heavy praise of Paul Weller and The Buzzcocks (to name but a few of their better known admirers), China In The Sink also features a sparkling promotional video.
The video itself shows a band with marked self-awareness, opening with a middle-aged protagonist vehemently criticising them whilst on the phone before being kidnapped by vocalist Daniel Ash. For someone whose ears are ‘ringing with mediocrity’, he’s then subjected to psychological torture of the worst kind. He has to listen to their new single.
Prowling riffs propel the dulcetly breathed vocals into a stuttering verse, embracing the Great British rhythm and swagger featuring not only the determination, but also the potential to ensnare audiences into hands in the air hysteria. The honeyed harmonies of the chorus even inspire a psychotic breakdown in our previous music critic, as we abruptly see him transform into the group’s biggest fan before our eyes.
As the final repetitive throes of singalong euphoria fade away, it’s increasingly clear that The Lost Boys, though they may be lots of things, are most certainly not ‘total toilet’. And with insults like that, the kidnapped deserved more than just the stiff prodding that he received.
China In The Sink available soon.
The Lost Boys support Thousand Yard Stare at The Hope and Ruin on June 9th. Get tickets here.
By Lennon Craig
