Thunderian Summer is a five-piece band from the British Midlands who play honest, guitar-driven, blues-infused rock’n’roll, the kind you love hearing at the hottest club in town on a Saturday night. They don’t seem to take themselves too seriously, but are quite serious when it comes to crafting great music. The band members are DT (Dave Thomas) on vocals, Alex on lead guitar, Tim on rhythm guitar, Nic on bass, and Pabs on drums.  When I last featured them on this blog nearly a year ago, they had just released their debut EP By The Gun (check out that review). Now they’re back with Misdirection of Self-Control, a new EP that dropped January 4th, featuring six tracks they describe as “A Story of Excess and Reflection.”

Getting right to down to business with the ‘excess’ part of the story, they kick things off with “Wind It Down” a ribald rock’n’roll ditty about getting it on with your hot babe. With his rough, seductive vocals, DT sounds downright lascivious as he croons the pretty explicit lyrics: “Wind it down, wind it slow, I took her out, I brought her home. She’s coming next, she’s getting wet. Wind it down, wind it slow. I took her high when I went low. Back and forth. Pretty little thing, she wants some more. / She’s my girl.”  Whew!

Things take a more serious turn with “Listen for the Shot“, a song that seems to be about coming to terms with a death of sorts – of a relationship perhaps? The guys deliver hard-driving riffs of fuzzy and jangly guitars set to fast-paced drums and deep, buzzing bass. The bluesy and deeply moving “Dark Times” recounts many tough moments in the singer’s troubled life, knowing those adversities have made him stronger, and holding onto faith that he’ll survive with enough love and support. The intricate guitar work is superb, but it’s DT’s raw, emotionally wrought vocals that are the highlight of this song, ripping at our heartstrings as he plaintively laments “They were dark times, dark times, darkest times of my life. / Shine your light on me. Your light is the only light I want to see.”

Next up is “Shake Your Sins“, a plea to someone on a downward spiral of drug abuse to change their self-destructive habits before it’s too late: “It looks like the drugs have taken their toll. Some misdirection self-control. Can’t you hear the ticking of the clock? Well don’t let it take your soul. / Your times are changing, they’re changing my friend. You better shake your sins.” Mournful jangly guitars and DT’s urgent vocals emphasize the powerful sentiments expressed in the lyrics.

“Around the Sun” is an optimistic message that everything will be alright, delivered with hard-hitting, reverb-drenched jangly guitars and a high-energy rhythm section. DT passionately implores “Please hold my hand so tight. You won’t feel this pain much longer now. I know I can make it right. How much time do we have? When all is said and done, we’ve only got so many trips around the sun.” Everything builds to a crescendo of raging guitars and crashing cymbals as DT repeatedly wails “Hold my hand so damn tight!”

Closing out the EP is the delightful “Pretty Pants“, a new studio version of the same song that was featured as an acoustic track on their previous EP By The Gun. This version is more melodic and fully-developed, with heavier instrumentation and stronger vocals. The song samples the Counting Crows classic “Mr. Jones” – using the great lines “And we will stare at beautiful women. Are they looking at you? No girl, they must be looking at me.”  It’s a wonderful track, and a fine finish to another terrific effort from Thunderian Summer. I really enjoy their style of rock that feels genuine, without gimmicks or overreach. Their straightforward lyrics are by turns entertaining, compelling and/or moving, delivered by some of the rawest, most passionate vocals I’ve heard in a while.

Connect with the band: Website / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram
Stream their music on Spotify / Apple Music / Soundcloud
Purchase on iTunes / cdbaby