Femur are, without a shadow of the doubt, one of the most interesting and exciting bands coming out of Sheffield. A mix of post-punk, psychedelica and heavy rock, they are easily one of my favourite new bands, simply because they are just so much fun. Their long-awaited (at least for me) debut album, People Parts, has definitely lived up to this. Easily one of the best guitar-based albums to come out of Sheffield in a while, People Parts is genuinely incredible.
Transatlantic kicks off the album in a typically (for Femur) weird & wonderful way. Energetic and hypnotic, the track is the perfect introduction for the album. Lead singer Felix’s voice echoes over the almost-menacing, seemingly everlasting musical backing, with some very Jarvis Cocker-esque inflections which give an almost surreal feel to the track. It builds and builds until about the first minute, in which drummer Danny and guitarist Eddie burst onto the song bombastically, before disappearing again into the subtle, rhythmic build up. The song is almost cyclical in structure, with the cathartic crescendos making you want to just dance away, regardless of location. The musical talent on display in the first song astounding, and this is felt throughout the album.
Next up is the Pt. 4 which, despite being just under 2 minutes long, is one of the highlights for me on the album, with Felix’s voice again shining through especially. We then move onto I Don’t Like, which we chose for our third Sheffield Spotlight. Next comes Overt Aggression, which begins with a rather frightening bassline courtesy of Bassist Ryan. Suddenly Felix’s haunting vocals come in. Overt Aggression is almost ethereal in sound, a bit more slower than a typical Femur track. Eddie’s piercing guitar riffs perfectly compliment the accusatory lyrics, with the song, musically, being very reminiscent of Instrumental by Black Country, New Road. In the final minute of the song, the mood switches, with a more angry, more intense tone, where the guitar, bass and drums meet in a veritable musical mosh-pit of noise.
Pt. 3 follows, continuing with the more subtle sound, but with a far more foreboding sound. Felix angrily tell us “I’m not ready“, as the music stabs and pierces your eardrums. Pt. 3 is an extremely guttural track, ending with Felix screaming as the instruments slowly fade away- it is another easy standout track. The next track, Harsh, brings us back to the fast-paced sound we know; a lighter, but no less menacing, song, Harsh really demonstrates Felix’s talent as a vocalist. The we get to Habenero: another short, under-two-minutes track, Habenero jumps rights into it. Musically, the song feels almost like a grunge Chelsea Dagger, with a bit of Misirlou thrown it. We then get to another of the singles, Janky, which we covered here.
The ninth song on the album, Comeback Kid, might be my favourite thing that Femur have ever done. Starting with an almost Country-esque guitar riff at the start, the track sounds very different to anything Femur have ever done. A lot softer, but still with their usual Femur-flair, the song really demonstrates the range the band have. Eddie and Ryan’s talents are particularly on display here, with the guitar especially being fantastic. The riff itself feels very John Squire-esque, and the instrumental section about 3 minutes into the song is just incredible. Despite the fast-pace there is an undercurrent of melancholia, or at the very least wistfulness, in the track. A particular highlight on the track comes about 4 minutes in, when the song switches to an almost indie-folk sound, with Felix’s “never come back” chanting sounding like it should belong in a Ceilidh band performing in a cosy pub in the west of Ireland. Inheritance comes next, with the Felix sounding the best he does on the whole album here. Lyrically, the song delves into some quite deep feelings of self-destruction. The album finishes with the masterful Greg’s Song, the perfect end to a magnificent album.
People Parts is incredible. It is easily the best thing to come out of Sheffield in a long while. I implore you to listen to this album, as it will be one of the best things you’ve ever heard.
Rating: 9/10
People Parts is out now on Bandcamp, and will be released on streaming services on Friday, 7th October 2022.
Femur are playing Yellow Arch Studios on October 29th, you can get tickets here.
