Albums to watch

Viola Beach

Viola Beach

Viola Beach

Postumous release of the debut album from the Warrington indie rock quartet who along with their manager died in a car crash on 13 February 2016

ADM rating[?]

6.9

Label
Fuller Beans
UK Release date
29/07/2016
US Release date
29/07/2016
  1. 8.0 |   NME

    Viola Beach’s name will always be synonymous with tragedy, but at least now we have a document of who this band were – and what they might have achieved
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  2. 8.0 |   Q

    The irrepressible bounce of these tracks outweigh the poignancy, though. Viola Beach have a debut their families can be proud of. Print edition only

  3. 8.0 |   Evening Standard

    Swings and Waterslides has a hint of Bombay Bicycle Club’s chiming guitars and grooves, while Like a Fool marries a trilling world music riff to a rousing chorus
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  4. 8.0 |   Uncut

    A debut their families can be proud of. Print edition only

  5. 7.5 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    Viola Beach is not a perfect record, but its sweetness and optimism make the somber realities surrounding its release even more difficult to swallow
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  6. 7.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    Despite the unavoidable, unbearable sadness of its context Viola Beach is best celebrated for its lightness. The band had a knack for bright melodies, sunny arrangements and chiming guitars
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  7. 7.0 |   Paste Magazine

    Most poignant are the songs that offer something a little different from standard, because these are the instances where you can hear the makings of the band proper
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  8. 6.0 |   The Arts Desk

    The deft, danceable rhythms that punctuate “Swings and Waterslides” and “Cherry Vimto”, combined with Leonard’s Northern accent, make comparisons Spectrals or early Arctic Monkeys irresistible
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  9. 6.0 |   The Independent

    The Warrington quartet was clearly in the process of defining their own sound
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  10. 6.0 |   The FT

    It gives the songs a gravity they were not intended to bear, a set of poignantly lively indie anthems that bear the imprint of obvious influences
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  11. 6.0 |   The Observer

    It’s hard not to warm to a quartet whose obvious pleasure at being in a group pervades every adrenaline-charged note
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Viola Beach: Viola Beach

  • Download full album for just £7.99
  • 1. Swings And Waterslides £0.99
  • 2. Like A Fool £0.99
  • 3. Go Outside £0.99
  • 4. Cherry Vimto £0.99
  • 5. Drunk £0.99
  • 6. Really Wanna Call £0.99
  • 7. Call You Up £0.99
  • 8. Get To Dancing £0.99
  • 9. Boys That Sing £0.99
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