C Turtle – ‘Expensive Thrills’ album review: a reasonable effort lacking any real consequence
THE SKINNY: The rising London slacker rock band C Turtle announce their comeback with their second album, Expensive Thrills. Despite the release of several catchy singles, it seems they may have revealed their best cards too soon, as most of the album’s standout moments arrived before the broader body of work. This creates an ironic contrast with the album’s title, suggesting that the thrills have already been experienced, leaving only the task of settling the bill.
That’s not to castigate the band, as they clearly have a definite sound and work within a very specific context, informed by the acts they’ve openly discussed in the media. However, there is nothing on Expensive Thrills that is genuinely worth shouting about. It’s solid without ever threatening anything more.
The highlights are reasonably vibrant alt-rock numbers, characterised by the dual vocals of Cole Flynn Quirke and Mimi McVeigh, which often inhabit different stylistic and emotional spaces. Still, lyrically, musically, and dynamically, there’s seldom anything that sets the group apart from the mass of others in the capital that looks to the same influences. Furthermore, a handful of instrumental segues are included that offer little to the cause, with it seeming that the group are presently toying with a different direction.
However, it feels shoehorned at this moment. It’s down to execution, with these cuts actually working to make the general album feel less coherent, which is a shame. Let’s get it straight: C Turtle clearly have a good thing going, but there’s a difference between promise and reality. Unfortunately, Expensive Thrills fails to make good on the former. There’s still enjoyment to be had, though, but you can’t help thinking there could’ve been more with a little extra writing time.
For fans of: Ripped blue jeans, haircuts and American Spirit.
A concluding comment from a vicious heckler: “Messy guitars, shouting, and loud-quiet… Kurt Cobain died in 1994, mate!”
Expensive Thrills track by track:
Release Date: March 8th | Producer: Mack Kniese/Callum Waddington | Label: Blitzcat Records
‘Have You Ever Heard A Turtle Sing’: The album opens strongly with one of the singles that has made it such a compelling prospect on the release tracker. Undoubtedly one of the band’s best efforts, it dances between alt-rock crunch and more harmonious textures as Quirke and McVeigh lock in one of their best performances. Despite the song’s somewhat loose, almost lo-fi essence, it’s an earworm. [3.5/5]
‘Melvin Said This’: The central harmony is cacophonous and almost dissonant, providing a somewhat compelling counterbalance to the infectious verse, which is underpinned by the prominent chime of the keys. While the burst at the end is fun, there’s a somewhat monotonous feel to the song as it bounces between two parts. [2.5/5]
‘Ex Athlete’: This cut definitely takes its cues from a certain Stockton, California band run by Steven Malkmus and reflects that C Turtle exists within a very specific context. Despite the distinct characteristic of the vocalist’s dovetailing, I hate to say that it’s nothing we’ve never heard before. Even the way it gives way to a flurry of wonky guitars at the end feels ever so slightly kitsch. [2.5/5]
‘Splitter’: A track just over a minute long in length, this instrumental is a fusion of 8-bit and noise, and although it’s a departure from the guitar-oriented rock, there’s no real need for it and serves no objective, even as a segue. [2/5]
‘Shake It Down’: A return to the more energetic rock the quartet is known for. It’s a total earworm, toeing the line between melody and total oblivion, as McVeigh’s nonchalant delivery salves Quirke’s unhinged yelps in the chorus, underpinned by comprised the group’s tongue-in-cheek nature. Yet, while it will undoubtedly be the pull for many new fans, it becomes a tad annoying after listening a few times. [2/5]
‘Expensive Thrills’: The title track is certainly one of the new record’s highlights. A more melodic number than most of what came before, in the instrumental moments, the guitars lean into shoegaze with their languid, fuzzy bends, as the simple but catchy lead line leads the charge. Operating the band’s customary reliance on loud-quiet-loud dynamics, it gradually moves through the gears until it comes to a head in the climax, when the noise and, indeed, grit, is ramped up. [3.5/5]
‘How Many Birds’: A song that distils C Turtle’s most effective take on the slacker rock blueprint, ‘How Many Birds’ is a record highlight. Dreamier than what came before, the noisy climax it builds to is convincing as the guitars and dynamics are more unrestrained in a brief pulsating din before it calmly fades out, leaving you wanting more. [3.5/5]
‘Shooby’: Another pretty pointless segue featuring fx-drenched giggles, talking, a vaporwave-evoking synth line, and clangorous noises, it does nothing for the broader album despite trying desperately hard to be artful. [1.5/5]
‘Harry Who Knew How To Fly’: A short, more experimental number comprised of analogue synth lines, a harmonica, and a weird melody very close to Jason Derulo’s ‘Ridin’ Solo’ of all things, the reasons for its inclusion remain a mystery [1/5].
‘Noise Thing’: Nearly six and a half minutes of noise that neither arrests nor adds anything to the album; again, this is the group trying to be arty but failing to do so with any real consequence. There are two moments – in the middle and end – where it gets somewhat heavy and engaging, fuelled by manic drumming, but as a whole, it fails to capture the attention. [2/5]
‘More Insects’: ‘More Insects’ opens with introspective strums and a glistening piano. This immediately pricks the ears as the band returns to something more authentic. The refrain, “There are so many tiny insects”, appears surreal but might be a broader comment on humanity. Whatever the meaning, this potential postulation is gradually driven home as the quartet harmonises their vocals and heads off into the sunset with a flood of noise. [3.5/5]
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