Track by Track: Bull – ‘Discover Effortless Living’
A rollercoaster ride of a debut from the York slackers
★★★★☆
Photo: Esme Mai
I don’t say this lightly when I tell you that Bull are ones you need to watch (or listen?) this year. With this debut album comes a body of very special work from the carefree foursome.
For starters, we've been gifted a beauty of an opener from Bedroom Floor; decorated with silky smooth vocals and swagger bands like Skegss and Babe Rainbow have mastered. There’s something so incredibly enticing by a band that doesn’t mould to the ‘norms’ of their genre; a band that warps the line between what you expect from them and what they deliver.
Love Goo is, well, oddly-titled, yes, but what else did you expect? Mixing a plethora of instruments that perhaps the average person wouldn’t mesh together, the second track on the album pushes further into the experimental side that Bull have dabbled in before.
The next track, Green, is the most-streamed one off the entire album, which is a promising start. Maybe it’s because green is my favourite colour, or maybe it’s that tantalising riff with the sickly sweet harmony layered over it that cements this as an early contender for my favourite on the album. With elements of The Beach Boys signature sound doused in the warmth of Pavement: an odd mix but, trust me, it works.
Shiny Bowl, a much slower track, gives us the break we need before becoming one of those deliciously slow-burning songs that reveals itself to pack a punch or two with a riff that could’ve made a brilliant stand-alone instrumental.
The next track, Eugene, is the only one on the album I’ve previously heard but, in the context of the whole album, it feels entirely brand new to me. No strangers to an incredibly well-strung riff, the band are just showing off at this point; I’m yet to hear a bad one on the album and this is the fifth track.
Eddie’s Cap is a breakaway from the previous offerings and is a change of pace that Bull are all-too good at. The last three songs have each been wildly dissimilar; the only similarity being the playful lyrics and the constant surprises.
The midway point is presented in the form of Serious Baby, a far simpler song in comparison to the efforts we’ve seen so far. No, I definitely spoke too soon. The addition of a riff soaked in psychedelic sound and what sounds like a glockenspiel but is most likely not a glockenspiel (although, that would be cool…).
Perfect Teeth, a sequel to Peace’s 2015 hit ‘Perfect Skin’ (OK, I’m joking, but it’d be funny if it was), has an aura that is reminiscent of every skater boy’s favourite band Car Seat Headrest and delivers the sound that has made this album the slacker-rock dream it unmasks itself to be.
Next, and with a title that may be relatable for most of us at the minute, is Find Myself A Job; a song that doesn’t care to slow down even for a second and carries on with lead singer Tom Beer’s notably strong vocals until the very last elongated note.
Bonzo Please, another shorter two-minute-long track, includes a short burst of screaming and reverberating vocals that make for a finely tuned, experimental and funky addition to the debut album from the York quartet.
The eleventh song, In A Jar, showcases the range of the group and teeters on indie-rockness until the Bull I’ve grown used to makes a welcome reappearance and continues to pave their way into my top albums of 2021 (I’m calling it now).
The penultimate track, Smoke, is like one of those Kinder Surprise Eggs; not because I could never open them, but because you have no idea what you’re going to get. Bouts of screaming, whispers of laughter and just overall an endearingly fun track to lead into the closer.
Although I could press play on the beginning again, I’m left feeling sad that this is the last song on the album. Granted, it’s a stellar way to end: on a high note. Disco Living is the best way they could have rounded off an eloquent and impressive full-length album.
Since they’re going to be touring this year — including the beautiful concrete cow land (Milton Keynes) — it’s the perfect time to put your headphones on and get stuck in.
