Album Review: Tensheds - "The Days Of My Confinement"

 

Second release in less than 12 months from Tensheds but this couldn't be more different from Deathrow Disco released 12 months ago if it tried. Whereas that album was all about Matt Millership pushing the boundaries of his sound, making his keyboard sound like a guitar, kicking out blues jams etc, this is an altogether more back-to-basics affair.

Written and recorded during the lockdown, The Days Of My Confinement sees Millership relying more on his piano than his synths and turning his hand to an altogether more heartfelt style of songwriting as demonstrated on the ennui of opener Ticking Clocks with its lyrics expressing the bewilderment of suddenly being confined to your house with nowhere to go. The stark piano balladry of Bridge Song follows to breathtaking effect and is a real highlight here while lead-off single Mirrors lures you in with its warm keyboards before the piano crashes skyward to devastating effect in the chorus, likewise the soaring Into The Light and the yearning Half of a Heart.

The drama certainly doesn't let up throughout - Cotton Wool World could almost be Nick Cave in one of his more stripped-down moments while Hell Is In The Water, one of the few tracks here with a full band on it, has an almost gospel-ish feel to it and The English Way goes into borderline ragtime country territory. The heartbreaking Girl I'm Sorry which sees Millership switching to the guitar as his lead instrument could almost be Nebraska era Springsteen while the epic Let The Tear Cry really is a beautiful song.

Stark and beautiful all at once, The Days Of My Confinement is a real testament to Millership's ability as both a musician and a songwriter and, dare I say it, maybe the strongest thing he's done to date. You can download The Days Of My Confinement and stream a couple of tracks off it from the Tensheds Bandcamp site. As you may have gathered, it's well worth a listen.

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)