Billowing an aesthetic torn straight from Malkmus’ demo reel, Meal Deals don’t bother to hide their roots on new track Birthday List. Made up of members of Sad Culture, Litsoma and Sweed, they’re part of a little group of friends doing their own thing in a suburban corner somewhere, a similar setup to The Magic Gang / Holiday Ghosts etc.
The melodies are all good, but it’s lines like “you don’t need to shout, we’re sat on the same bench, and neither of you speak French”, that set them apart. Sharing an off kilter humour with Happyness and Rad Stewart (RIP), and an easy ear for chorus, this is a lot better than their first demo, and another good reason to feel positive about DIY guitar music in 2016. Nice one.
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