After a long wait, the Belfast-based quartet’s eponymous debut EP arrives with a clatter. Following on from two tremendous support slots for noise-rock titans The Jesus Lizard in January, Stratford’s bruising sound pummels the listener on all four tracks – though not without clear artistic deliberation throughout. Inspiration can be heard from standout acts such as Shellac, black midi, Swans – to name a few.
The EP opens with ‘Gunshow’ – an explosive introductory track in which guitars grind and click like clockwork. Switching dynamics masterfully, the instrumental is accompanied by Orion Courtney-Lee’s crooning vocals and barking yelps. I can’t help but imagine this being played over a Western showdown. ‘Prone’, the second track, opens with an eerie loop partnered with harsh ambient scratches and scrapes before launching into an anxiety-inducing verse.
Scratching guitars and wailing vocals build on each other, before breaking into a marching beat broken only by abrupt stabs and a miscount of “…Step one / Step two / Step Four…”. The track then descends into chaos: riling guitars, thundering drums, and yelping vocals build to a crescendo before dismantling even further. Stratford’s well-oiled machine careens on with the third track, ‘Snowsports’. Orion’s lyricism describes survival in an icy tundra: “…Arctic trawl / Through a dark you don’t know / Four death knoll / From a tent to your home…”. Metric modulation carries the song to an almost grinding halt with the ending feeling as though the band are writhing each note out of their instruments.
Stratford close out their debut release with ‘Machine to Water’ – a mind-bending track which starts with frantic guitars responding to a pulsating drum and bass groove. The song flits between intricate riff sections, shimmering passages and bruising grooves before transcending to an ethereal outro. Orion’s lyricism here depicts a passenger’s first-hand experience of a train crash: “…That train came screaming around / The bend was just too tight / Before we knew it- / Straight off into the deep…”.
A fitting end for an EP which, much like the aforementioned train, has rampaged to a gruesome halt.
