(Independent)

Sweet acoustic grunge.

Fun Parlour is an acoustic grunge playhouse that Mike Gemzik’s vocals lilt effortlessly around. The EP draws a lot of authenticity from its live sound, but over and above that is the absolute lack of pretence or contrivance to these songs. Homeless Yellow have really nailed the genre, and though at first this seems to render their music somewhat generic, it does not take long to see that Gemzik’s Vedder-cum-Cobain vocal stylings are an incredible asset rather than a limitation. Fun Parlour is no simple ode to past greatness – there are too many demonstrations of personal and inventive songwriting for that. However, for those seeking a referential context of past champions: on a spectrum of Nirvana to Pearl Jam, this EP fits quite snugly in the vicinity of Alice in Chains (Unplugged).

PAULIE STONE