On their new record You Said, British folk-rock band Tumbler have crafted a breezy and fun album that explores elements of folk and pop with a taste of rock. While the group consists of father and son musicians Richard and Harry Grace, it also includes their friend Dave Needham, who came into the fold when the father and son duo needed a studio to record their ideas. Before children came along, Richard tried to make a living entirely off of his music, though he ended up giving up for a brief period and took on a job that paid the bills. With a second chance comes a new sound and style, and while this band is working on their’s, listeners will notice that they have a similar sound to Scottish indie-pop act Belle and Sebastian on many of the records tracks, which may give off the impression that they are trying to rip off their more famous peers, however, Tumbler’s abilities make up for this minor hangup.
You Said begins with an acoustic song titled “Moments (She Reappears),” with Richard’s wavy voice coupled with an interesting mix of acoustic guitars and different sound effects. While the lyrics are overdubbed to create the illusion that more than one person is singing, “Moments” is memorable enough to get your head bobbing while giving you the urge to hear more. Straight away, we realize just how great the group gel together, despite having two of its members sharing similar DNA. During this track, we get the sense that even though music did not work out for Richard the first time around, he might find more success with this new group due to their knack for writing songs that have enough spark to move audiences.
“Businessman Blues”, deviates from Tumbler’s folk inspired style to try out a rock flavored tune, and surprising it fits right in with the rest of the record, though it was a bit shocking to hear such a huge change. Though once we hear it, hearing more tunes along these lines would also work well for the band in the future as they have mastered both genres well.
Songs such as “Bueller” go back to You Said’s acoustic offerings, and becomes one of the release’s best tracks. With an acoustic guitar, a simple drum beat, and group vocals to round out the song, “Bueller” is a selection that also demonstrates the bands harmonies and musical abilities, which ends up being an immensely enjoyable tune.
To close out You Said the band decides to put “Rowan Tree” on as its final song, and its only flaw is its similarities to the rest of the album, while also not giving listeners a sense of where the band could be going next when defining their style. With that said, we do know that acoustic music is what Tumbler does best, and even though they took a chance at trying on an electric identity, including acoustic guitars in their music fits the bands carefree and independent spirit better than anything else they’ve tried so far, all while leaving fans content with the band’s latest release.
You can hear “Bueller” below.
