Last week I was fortunate enough to see husband and wife duo Lauren and Matt Barus, otherwise known as Terrible Sons, perform at Wine Cellar, and it was truly a magical evening. Both are wonderful singers, with Matt providing different styles of guitars and Lauren piano, and they created a spell with their music. Putting on their latest single I was again transported back to that time and place, as it is incredibly catchy with some wonderful clapping throughout, and their harmonies which only come from years of being together and understanding what each has to offer. There is even a trumpet on this song, along with some delicate bass and percussion, but for the most part it is just two of them.
While the music is upbeat and joyful, the lyrics are somewhat deeper, talking about the lockdowns we all became somewhat used to, “The more I know, the less I understand, But don’t worry, worry, Hands in a hurry, Tomorrow, always comes.” For some reason this song takes me back to a classic album of many years ago, as it makes me think of Paul Simon’s ‘Graceland’ (can that really be more than 35 years old?), just in the way it all comes together in the arrangement. This is a wonderful song, upbeat but designed to make us think, with incredible harmonies and hooks throughout. Their top listened to song on Spotify is currently Tears Don’t Fall with 20.6 million plays (yes, you did read that right), and one can only hope this does as well, it deserves to.
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About the author Kev Rowland

From 1990 – 2006 I ran Feedback fanzine in the UK, writing about bands that were rarely covered in the mainstream press, many of whom were in the underground scene. I built close ties with many British Progressive groups in particular, including writing the newsletter for Freewill, getting gigs for Credo and writing the introduction to Galahad’s OCMDII compilation. I reviewed literally thousands of cassettes and then CDs from bands from throughout the world, and was lucky enough to interview many of them. During this period I also contributed to the French progzine Acid Dragon, wrote for the music newspaper Rock ‘n’ Reel and was also involved with the Ghostland website. In 2006 I moved to NZ, and stopped running Feedback (which was then renamed Amplified after I left, at my request) having produced over 80 editions with more than 11,000 pages of print and heaven knows how many reviews
More by Kev Rowland
Gig Review: Crushfest @ The Tuning Fork, Auckland – 07/07/2023

Single Review: Love and War

Single Review: All This Time

Single Review: Sons of Savages

Gig Review: Stray Dogs @ AUX, Auckland – 26/05/2023

Gig Review: Turkey The Bird @ The Ministry of Folk, Auckland – 27/05/2023

Single Review: Beautiful Creature

Gig Review: Emily Rice @ Your Local Coffee Roasters, Pukekohe – 24/05/2023

EP Review: Bridge City Crew

Single Review: Your Heart of Gold

Single Review: The Strangest Dream

Single Review: No Funeral Blues

