We're No Heroes

WHEN it comes to enthusiasm and productivity Cardiff outfit We’re No Heroes can’t be faulted for the effort they put in to their music and marketing.

Perennial favourites on social networking sites such as Twitter, they’ve gathered a sizeable following for their infectious and upbeat approach.

It’s an indomitable ideology which manifests itself in their finely-honed sound.

Their new EP Quiet Colours, released this week, provides ample evidence of this.

The follow up to their debut EP Crossing Over in February 2010, which attracted more than 1500 online downloads, the four track showcases a particularly funky take on angular ’80s indie and zeitgeist-snaring math rock – that’s rhythmically complex tunes to the uninitiated.

There’s the obvious Foals comparison, but they also recall the choppy riffs of Manchester funkateers A Certain Ratio – all wiry grooves and dance-laden post punk progression.

There’s even shades of early Spandau Ballet in there, if they had decided to morph into The Gang Of Four instead of plodding through the mainstream.

Written over a six month period through live performances and rigorous jam sessions, the three piece hit Ripefruit Recordings studio in Cardiff with producer Jordan Andrews.

The band set about condensing and refining their sound still further, whittling their initial eight demo tracks down to the four strongest songs in the set and piecing them together.

The finished results sounded more fluid, hanging together as a complete record.

The Quiet Colours EP manages to transmit the excitement of their always hugely energetic live shows to the recording studio.

It’s by far and away the best thing the fledgling group have released thus far and hints at greater landmarks yet to be attained. - Western Mail

We’re No Heroes are the Princes of the Cardiff music scene, making waves this side of the Severn Bridge since forming in Chicago back in 2009. Their debut EP ‘Crossing Over’ is one of my most played albums, matching technical proficiency with dumbfounding dancability to create something so instantly repeatable. Incredibly ‘Quiet Colours’ takes it up a notch.



The improvements lie in the vocals; smoother, crisper, the perfect accompaniment for the phenomenal fretwork. The math-disco pop blueprint still remains, but this second iteration has more presence and identity. (When I first started listening to ‘Crossing Over’ I thought I was listening to a Foals B-side, ‘Quiet Colours’ is undeniably We’re No Heroes.)

If I had to choose a stand out track it would be ‘Atlantic Hearts’, which has the addictive vocal refrain to match the flea-bitten guitar riff. Though that’s pretty unfair on the other three tracks. The intro to ‘Empty Beat’ could feature in any Grand Theft Auto soundtrack, oozing 70’s swagger. From gentle hi-hat taps to full on snare drum smacks, each beat is full of hip-wiggling coercion. ‘Tiger’ is a rinabow of highlights including a ludricously wonderful ‘duh duh duh d-d-d-duh’ part and a curious, “was that a steel drum?” moment. The relaxed ‘Latitude’ is a mature EP closer that infuses anticipation for a full LP and national tour.

These boys are on the brink of something big. Get involved now and I guarantee they’ll be your new musical heroes before long - Whiteboard Project

Describing a person who writes and performs music as a ‘hero’ is preposterous. Music can give us pleasure, for sure, but has it ever thrown itself over a grenade, saved a family from a burning building, or even defeated Lord Voldemort? No, music cannot do these things. Why people worship Dave Grohl for putting out record after record of mediocre radio-friendly rock, or call Hendrix a ‘guitar hero’ I do not know. So it is with pleasure that we present you with a band who have no desire to be fawned over, and as such have named themselves We’re No Heroes.

Their first rehearsal took place during the summer of 2009 in – bet you didn’t see this coming – Chicago, where drummer Luke was living at the time. This led to the cementing of the main musical ideas behind the band: an intertwining of melodic guitar and bass lines set to indie-dance drum beats, while each of the non-Heroes – Luke plus guitarist Tom and bassist Dewey – assumes vocal duties. As such, their rejection of the rock-star system is reflected in the band dynamics: there is no frontman here. By sharing the vocals WNH take responsibility for their output as a group.

Inevitably the band’s sound is often compared with fellow math-rockers Foals, but there’s also a touch of Manchester to WNH. The dark, industrial feel of Joy Division and the more up-tempo post-punk of A Certain Ratio can be heard in songs such as ‘Life Out Loud’: the reverb-heavy guitar hangs high over the disco rhythm section, leaving a cavernous and atmospheric space for the vocals to fill. It’s an anthemic but unsettling song, danceable but contemplative. Meanwhile the cold synths and sparseness of ‘February’ brings to mind the darker moments of Klaxons, and the stop-start feel to ‘Aviator’ shows a more experimental side to the band.

June 15th sees the release of WNH’s second EP Quiet Colours, the title of which is said to reflect the personalities within the group; meek in everyday life, but a powerful force onstage (much like Clark Kent: perhaps they are heroes after all.) The band whittled the four song set down from eight potentials, determined to construct a strong, coherent record which retains the individuality of each of its component parts. The release is celebrated with a show at Gwidhw on the same day: until then you can download their EP Crossing Over from werenoheroes.com, and follow their twitterings @werenoheroes.

Words: Joe O’Connell - Minature Music Press