London-based band The Miller Test provide a diversely successful sound throughout their new album Double Country, whose art-rock charisma spans from country-set twangs to hooky, spacey pop delights.
“Crows on the Scaffold” opens the album with an artful rock character. Brassy swells and wordless backing vocal haunts drive into an ominous multi-vocal procession, with the “lover boy,” sequence rousing in its escalating vocal fervency and steady guitar pulses. Double Country is abundant with rousing, stylish build-ups — and this commanding opener, which shows shades of Nick Cave in its darker drive, is enjoyably exemplary of such.
The subsequent “Like a Stranger” pursues a different stylistic route entirely, embracing a more vibrant Euro-pop feeling in its soaring vocal hooks. “Save your story for the jury,” they let out, with the touches of synths and guitar intertwining for an ’80s nostalgia. The album opens with a one-two punch that showcases The Miller Test’s striking versatility throughout the album — ranging from the twangy, dreamy subdued rock of “Sin in Question” to the gritty industrial-rock infectiousness of “Long Wrong Way.” Double Country is an eclectic treat.
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“Like a Stranger” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of September 2023’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
