Homework

It seems like Scotland is getting all the UK ElectroPop action right now. The next act that looks set for their fair share of media attention, after Glasgow’s Chvrches, appears to be Homework, who hail from Edinburgh. I smell an Electro city-based rivalry afoot. These guys are gearing up for the release of their début album, 13 Towers. Here’s the first track.

The Edge Of Control Was Black is something a bit different. Whilst it’s roots are definitely in ElectroPop and Minimal Synth, it;s essentially a rock song, made with Synths. A swirling cacophony of beautiful electronics set to a pile-driver Industrial beat. It’s exciting stuff, a melodic noise that is just the right kind of avant-garde that will appeal to those who like their music a little more eclectic, but not so dark and grinding that it would stop them achieving mainstream attention. The cosmic garage band of the synth world, we’ll definitely be keeping an eye on Homework. - Electronic Rumours

Electro fans, take note: this lot could be your new favourite band. Hailing from Edinburgh and sounding like latter-period Errors jamming with James Murphy from LCD Soundsystem, the quartet have already picked up airtime on BBC Radio 1, and are set for big things this year. 'The Edge of Control Was Black' is as intense as they come and stretches to 6-and-a-half minutes, with not a second wasted. It's the first taste of debut album 13 Towers, which is due on March 25th. I've heard it. It's great, and therefore you should be quite excited. - The 405

“one of those bands who seem to have an on/off switch permanently stuck in the ‘on’ position, and whose screeching synths set them apart at an event dominated by guitars – absolutely stormed the place!” - The List

From beats, bass and bleeps to strums, riffs and twangs; acoustic, electric and electronic - therein lies a treasure trove of interesting music, right on your doorstep.... - BBC Radio Scotland

magine Mogwai on Prozac and you’re half way to understanding how Homework’s ‘All That Glitters’ sounds. Opening track ‘Surfacing’ merges light electronic music with guitar. As well hints of Mogwai, there’s also some sense of Gary Numan influence (if you can imagine that) but the whole thing seems rather positive and upbeat.
‘Why Oh Why’ continues this upbeat attitude with clear crisp punding drums, booming synths and clear strong vocals with synth playing underneath in a manner that can only be described as ‘jiggling’, just one example of the records experimental production. ‘Fireworks’ marks a change in style as Homework take us on an audio acid trip reminiscent of Kasabian’s more trippy material despite the polite Scottish accent.

As with all tracks on the EP, the bass seems to be very prominent and of great importance throughout. ‘Talk Down’ is more Krautrock inspired, taking the very old school style but using advanced production to give it a wholly contemporary feel. A great mix of old and new, past and present and even future. With its eerie layered vocals, stale drums, guitar and synth, you may mistake ‘Oceans’ for being the weakest track on the EP but just over half way, the distortion kicks in, the bass is turned up full and ghostly vocals hover across the music, just like wind over an ocean.

Final track ‘Foil’ sees the band once again give Krautrock a whole new modern makeover which progresses to sound almost like some sort of epic movie soundtrack. Experimental, Homework definitely are and we all know how badly that can turn out sometimes when bands get a little to trigger happy with effects, etc. But Homework successfully bridge the gap between ambition and execution by not getting ahead of themselves and doing things in proper proportion, not just for the sake of it and because they can. They want to create something worth listening to and that’s exactly what they’ve done here. Not bad for four lads from the likes of Inverness, Mull and Dumfries. - Is This Music

Finally. After four years of contributing to this site I’ve got a band to tip for success in the coming year. Homework‘s show tonight (to launch mini-album All That Glitters) was a revelation, not least because prior to the show I’d been less than impressed with their recorded output on their earlier singles. Live, however, they’re a far weightier and more powerful proposition. Coming on like a combination of Nine Inch Nails, Placebo and Jane’s Addiction, their sound turns out to be a dazzling amalgam of intrepid drumming, solid basswork, yearning, angsty vocals and blunt, propulsive riffs along with extensively employed synths.

Leading us on with a false sense of security by projecting Stop Making Sense on the back wall before taking to the stage, the four lads lose no time in confounding expectations (mine at any rate) and by the halfway point of the intense set (of which I can’t name a single song as the introductions were a tad unclear) the temperature had noticeably risen as bodies began to react to the tunes and get into the swing of things. Safe to say that by that point too the audience were wildly enthusiastic.

Keeping things necessarily short and to the point they were on and off stage in just under an hour but as tantalising glimpses go this was one of the best I’ve seen in years, the memory of which I’ll be pleased to reflect on as they go from strength to strength in the months ahead. Scotland’s producing a lot of bands at the noisier end of the musical spectrum at the moment and those already established should take note of the new boys getting ready to move into the fast lane and moon them as they streak past. - Muso's Guide

"fresh+original - one of the best sounding records I've heard all month. Ya can quote me on that!" Tom talking about Why Oh Why after playing it on his Friday 6 Music show. - BBC

Edinburgh-based forward-looking indie outfit with more ideas than time could ever allow.

Witty, sharp and disaffected indie rock. Altogether catchy and altogether smart. - Tentracks

A four-piece hailing from Inverness, Mull and Dumfries, Homework have been picking up some good reviews, and you can hear why from this debut EP. ‘Sleepless Nights’ sets out their stall, a jangly jerky piece in the Postcard-meets Talking Heads ballpark with a slight electronic twist.

Oddly, and while it does (fortunately) hold the interest, this may be the weakest track on this EP. ‘All I See’ is an infectious piece of pop, while ‘Forget About Everything’ is dreamy to start and then hits a marching pace, becoming harder and quite insistent.

‘Havana’ is a decidedly mellow effort, closer to Edwyn Collins’ later solo stuff if we’re doing the Postcard comparisons and ‘All I See’ is catchy almost to the point of irritation.

Perhaps final track ‘We Should Not Regress’ is the final display of their breadth of sound. An epic effort with shimmering guitars the first impression that it’s all about a sonic landscape actually is dispelled very quickly - the kind of thing that will be an epic set-closer, the kind of thing that Elbow would be making if they’d been listening to Aereogramme rather than Coldplay. For once, an EP with no filler and gicen the many highs on this, very well worth seeking out - Is This Music

What's in a name? Well, with a name like Homework: not much, it would seem. Fortunately, in stark contrast to the unholy boredom and frustration often doled out by their namesake, this particular Homework – a four-piece resident in Edinburgh, hailing from Dumfries, Inverness and Mull that specialise in arty jams and glitchy electronics – offer up the kind of sonic entertainment you wouldn't want to ignore.

Their debut EP, Sleepless Nights, released earlier this year mixes a number of eclectic influences to produce what the band accurately sum up themselves as "beats, bleeps and melodies". At times, there are echoes of the all-too familiar jagged guitar-rock territory tread by so many bands in recent times, but Homework manage to twist and mangle these sounds (and more) into an atmospheric product of their own creation, spearheaded by raw, and honest vocal spluttering, delivered in a deep Scottish drawl.

The band, comprised of brothers Oli and Richard Kass along with Uni friends Ross Baird and Ally Dennis, formed only last year and in this remarkably short space of time have already made a solid charge into the public consciousness. Managing to score a slot on the prestigious right of passage that is the T Break stage at last year's T in The Park, theirs was a performance that was heralded by the local press and national airplay merchants such as Vic Galloway, and proved an undoubted highlight for the band, as guitarist/vocalist Oli explains: "It was a great experience. We drew a nice crowd albeit quite a sober one at 6pm on the Friday and managed to score a BBC1 interview with Vic and also had our track We Should Not Regress featured on the BBC highlights."

Add to this a further smattering of successful stints around the country, including The Mill and Oxjam festival, not to mention a sold-out EP launch, all rammed in between studies and jobs, within the space of a year, and you've got a fairly respectable run indeed.

In a bid to continue this momentum, the band are currently gearing up for round two in the studio this month, preparing to lay down the foundations for their debut album and pencilling in a July release date. Wasting no time in their progression, Oli remains tight-lipped as to what the recording will offer, though he promises: "The album will be made up of entirely new material and is a step forward from the EP in both production and songwriting. We feel that our sound is now properly developed, so the album will be an indication of how much Homework progressed as a band [in 2009]."

Whether or not this means they're working on an ambitious foray into Scottish art-rock opera, we just don't know, but it would appear a wise bet to keep 'em peeled for Homework in 2010. - The Skinny Magazine

"Teenage Fanclub meets Kraftwerk" - A New Band A Day

OUR Track of the Month for July comes from Homework (www.myspace.com/wearehomework), a four-piece hailing from Inverness, Mull and Dumfries. They played T in the Park two weeks ago and recently released their debut EP, which features the infectious All I See. Homework embark on a series of dates across Scotland in October, but also play the GRV Festival in Edinburgh on 15 August (see below). - The Scotsman

OUR Track of the Month for July comes from Homework (www.myspace.com/wearehomework), a four-piece hailing from Inverness, Mull and Dumfries. They played T in the Park two weeks ago and recently released their debut EP, which features the infectious All I See. Homework embark on a series of dates across Scotland in October, but also play the GRV Festival in Edinburgh on 15 August (see below). - The Scotsman