Like many of my generation, I was introduced to indie music in the 90s. Though while bands such as Oasis or Blur managed to perfectly encapsulate the aspirations and optimism of Blairite Britain, it’s difficult to convey that to a 7 year, regards of how politically astute they may be.
It would be another decade before my generation really had an indie scene they would call their own. Harbouring a quiet understanding that the world might well soon be fucked, it wasn’t so much aspirational as it was immediate, the cocksure confidence swathed in a union jack traded in for Topman tshirts, two pound pills and The Pigeon Detectives.
Excitingly, South East four piece Two Weeks in Nashville manages to marry these two iterations of indie effortlessly. Their latest single, “Homeward Bound”, was fittingly recorded on the band’s last day in Nashville and succeeds in capturing not just the buzz and excitement that comes with such a trip, but also the very different kind of excitement that comes with returning home.
Three minutes of soaring indie rock, the sense of possibility and optimism that the track exudes is as big as the sky it was recorded under, while the rolling propulsion of the bass and drums pulls the track inexorably towards its emphatic and anthemic chorus.
Indeed, while harbouring the optimism of ‘90s indie, the immediacy of the ‘00s indie that so influenced Two Weeks in Nashville is evident in the track’s ‘life don’t get much better than this’ refrain. And though there’s elements of bands such as King of Leon, one can’t help but think that this is as much down to the pervading touch of the city in which it was recorded, rather than a direct influence or homage.
Of course, detractors might well say that there’s nothing ground-breaking about ‘Homeward Bound’ and it would certainly be a fair criticism. The fact remains, however, that while it doesn’t push boundaries, it doesn’t need to. It doesn’t pretend to be anything it isn’t. What it is however, is feel good, radio ready indie rock that warms spirits ahead of a looming bleak British winter.