‘The Making Of’ by The Bohicas (Album)

The Bohicas are singer Dominic McGuinness, drummer Brendan Heaney, guitarist Dominic John and bassist Ady Acolatse

The riff-heavy debut album from lauded Essex rockers The Bohicas is capable of both delighting and frustrating in equal measure

he acclaim lavished upon double A-side XXX and Swarm means that anticipation is high for the release of Essex quartet The Bohicas’ debut album. With a trio of producers – Mark Rankin (Queens Of The Stone Age), Chris Hughes (Tears For Fears) and Oli Bayston (Toy) – at the helm it is perhaps not surprising that The Making Of ends up being a slightly uneven record.

At its best, such as the leading pair of songs I Do It For Your Love and To Die For, these are bluesy guitar numbers underpinned with a melodic precision and a weakness for delicate harmonies. The relentless Swarm remains their strongest effort and a constant reminder of how exhilarating The Bohicas can be. Other highlights include the riff-driven and life-affirming Upside Down And Inside Out.

For every standout track there is one that is altogether more forgettable. Only You sounds too clean and Red Raw too much like Nirvana’s Lithium. This is an album about love and longing and singer/songwriter Dominic McGuinness drifts into cliché on Girlfriend as he sings “and you still won’t pick up the phone / location unknown”. Even final track Somehow You Know What I Mean falls slightly flat despite its best efforts to end things with a rousing flourish.

There are plenty of moments on The Making Of, especially the singles, which prove that The Bohicas could be a band with a promising career ahead of them, they just need to reach those heights more consistently.

Verdict: Despite falling flat in places this is a promising debut

Duncan Haskell

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