Review | Eades – Final Sirens Call

Label: Breakfast Records

By Emma Harrison 

Eades, the Leeds five-piece with the unusual but memorable band name, have released their second album, ‘Final Sirens Call’. After forming in 2019, releasing a debut album, a couple of EPs and touring around the UK and Europe relentlessly, Eades have undoubtedly grown into themselves, and ‘Final Sirens Call’ is evidence of that.

Despite an overarching influence from American indie-rock artists like Wilco and Richard Swift, Eades’ second album is a playful experiment of sound, with the echoes of many genres being heard throughout the tracklist; indie-rock, post-punk, Americana, 60’s, Britpop – you name it, they’ve dabbled. Experimentation being at the core of this album is no doubt due to the inevitable growth and self-exploration that comes with time passing, but also down to their new studio space, Bam Bam Studios, owned and operated by Eades’ frontman, Harry Jordan. With plenty of new equipment and a private, comfortable environment, the quartet had the freedom to really get creative and go in any direction they wanted – so they went in all directions.

The album begins with the scratchy, upbeat guitar intro of ‘The Other Side of Life’, a track about feeling disillusioned with today’s music industry, set against the nostalgic clangs of 60’s style guitars – a nod to a more desirable version of the music industry. It’s a bold comment on how marketing and social media’s importance to pursuing a successful music career has increased tenfold – the excessive self-promotion almost becoming as important as actually making the music. This track is Eades’ outpouring of frustration at feeling like they are tied to this ‘other side of life’ where they don’t just need to write, record and perform songs, but also need to gain followers, make short-form content and jump on social media trends as soon as they can. However, there is still hope that they can navigate their way through the ever-changing music industry, with the song ending on the optimistic lyrics, ‘I’m finding my way’.

‘Backwards’ exhibits the peak of Eades’ experimentation, with the band stating that it began life as a ‘90’s wire rip off’ and decided to ‘disassemble and rebuild’ it, instead turning it into an alt-country, post-Britpop sound broken up with an intriguing drum and piano solo. In this track, lyricist Tom O’Reilly reflects on negative past relationships and how they made him feel – expressing regret at changing himself for people he didn’t even really like.

‘Final Sirens Call’, the album’s title track, undeniably shines out with Jordan’s delicate and emotive vocals, assisted by harmonies and soothing acoustic guitar strums, which creates a song reminiscent of Elliot Smith. The introspective lyrics express complications and difficulties with life and love – feeling like you’re falling short and things aren’t going right, and relying on love at the end of it. It’s a five minute dramatic confession of dissatisfaction with life, with eccentric sonics included like the sound of a plane whizzing by midway through and a soulful saxophone solo – adding to the overall theatrics of the song.

Tearing away from the slow and mellow folk sound of the previous track, the album jumps straight into ‘Did You Read The News?’, shocking you awake. Upbeat and set against crashing drums and soaring guitar riffs, it’s an unapologetic indie tune with grit. This track is about continuing with life’s monotony and everyday tasks in a constantly changing world and feeling like you’re on autopilot where nothing changes, despite everything always seeming to change – ‘Did you read the news and how it all changed? / I’m crawling back to you like I do everyday’.

‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ follows the highs and lows of a relationship. It makes you want to fall in love and spend ‘slowed-down Sundays’ together, and also never again, to avoid the loneliness and nostalgia you’ll inevitably feel once it’s over. Jordan’s vocals are smooth and indifferent, with an air of cool, and are assisted by a sunshiny 70’s groove that makes you unable to keep your feet still.

‘Madness, Pride And Poetry’ sees Eades leaning into post-punk, producing a tune that would make Fontaines D.C. proud. Full to the brim with witty and honest observations on modern life, exposing its dissatisfactions and hardships – ‘Sadness lies in groceries / Is this the reality we live in today?’ Jordan’s vocals are loud and angry, matching the thrashing drums and gritty guitar riffs.

‘This Fleeting Wind’ is the second to last track on the album – an alt-rock song with heavy drums, reminiscent of Biffy Clyro which leads onto the final track, ‘You Could Have Had It All’, a nod to Britpop with its guitar-driven sound and catchy melodies.

‘Final Sirens Call’ is Eades’ successful attempt to keep you on your toes, pulling you from one soundscape to another. Throughout their entire second album, you’re left guessing where you’ll end up, maybe in the acoustic indie-folk sound of their third track, or the post-punk frustration of their eighth track – who knows?