Homework have become a pretty special band to me. Every guitar line seems ready to veer off course, every lyric makes you listen closer, and the whole thing holds together through the chemistry between the four members. Having written about them before, I already know how well they turn melodic indie rock into something crooked, funny and unmistakably Glaswegian. Their debut album, Bang Here If Stuck, takes that instinct across twelve songs and gives you a fuller view of what makes them such a special band.
Twin songwriters Michael Newton and Santiago Taberna share the vocals, guitars and writing, often sounding as though they are completing each other’s sentences. Lizzie Quirke and Andrew Gordon form the rhythm section, providing the steady centre. The album was recorded live at Chime Studios in Glasgow with Melissa Brisbane; to try and capture the magic you can hear at their live shows. You can hear the band responding to one another in real time, following an idea wherever it leads and trusting that someone will find the route back.
Let’s drop the needle and see what’s what.
A gauzy spread of guitars opens ‘Heroes Welcome’, briefly suggesting that Homework might ease us into their debut. The mist soon clears and a loose slacker rock song steps forward, with the vocal delivery carrying a trace of Pavement influence. Homework establish their own personality through the sheer density of the words. Lines tumble into one another, internal rhymes appear at unexpected points, and small verbal jokes continue to reveal themselves after umpteen plays. The guitars remain melodic beneath all that language, giving the song enough space to breathe while setting out the album’s fondness for disorder, detail and wit.
‘ASAP’ begins with a false start that sounds as though somebody is trying to tune into the song over a telephone. Once the band arrive properly, the American slacker references give way to Glasgow indie pop. There is a flash of Orange Juice in the playful performance and the wiry guitar work, fed through Homework’s habit of placing every part slightly off centre. The rhythm skips forward while the vocals sound ready to abandon the arrangement altogether. That feeling of possible collapse becomes part of the fun. Homework know exactly where the song is heading, even when they allow you to think they have misplaced the map.
The guitar playing on ‘Hedge Your Bets’ is a joy. Homework take a simple chord sequence and find countless ways to twist it, decorate it and send it scurrying around the vocal. A small guitar run leading into the chorus will become one of those details you start waiting for on every play. The stream of consciousness lyrics bring their own pleasures, moving quickly enough to keep your ear chasing each phrase.
Tenderness enters the album through ‘Some Kind of Magic’. The harmonies recall the open-hearted pop of Attic Lights, while the angular guitar lines bring Kiwi Jr. to mind. Homework move between acoustic warmth and a fuller indie rock charge, changing the weight of the arrangement without disturbing the central melody. That dynamic makes the song a neat representation of the album as a whole. Soft passages can turn loud within seconds, polished harmonies sit beside crooked chords, and every change feels connected to the emotion of the performance. It also shows how naturally sentiment sits within Homework’s stranger impulses.
‘Made’ returns to loose slacker rock and contains my favourite lyrical combination on the album: “Rated success at the sellers address, I hope I’m the guest at the roll call”. The line has rhythm, humour and the kind of phrasing that makes you wonder how anyone arrived at it. That playfulness runs through the arrangement too. Wonky guitar chords lean against a relaxed beat while the vocal threads its way between them. Homework make the song feel casual, yet every odd turn has purpose. The apparent looseness comes from four musicians who just …..get it.
The brief ‘Velcro’ arrives covered in distortion. Its rough surface suits the title, with the entire performance sounding as though it has been fired through damaged speakers. Imagine The Strokes growing up around Glasgow rehearsal rooms and pub venues, then condense that thought into a short, scruffy vignette. Its placement gives the album another sudden change of texture and proves that Homework can make a complete statement within a very small timespan.
A cleaner recording greets you on ‘Trivial’. The guitars chime with greater definition, while the bass shadows the vocal melody and gives the song a direct, easy to follow structure. Homework sound comfortable playing things relatively straight, allowing the tune to carry the performance without filling every available corner. That restraint also gives the guitar solo more impact when it arrives. It is concise, tuneful and placed exactly where the song needs an extra flash of colour. After the blown speaker abrasion of ‘Velcro’, this clarity feels especially satisfying.
‘Thread & Thistle’ slows the pulse through its half time drum entrance and laid-back vocal. The guitars retain the clean tone heard on ‘Trivial’, allowing the band to take their time and leave space around the notes. Homework gradually increase the intensity during the second half, leading towards a guitar solo that tears through the earlier calm. The song seems to pass from afternoon light into the darker hours within a few minutes. Its progression feels patient and natural, with the closing guitar work earning its scale through everything that came before it.
The title ‘Roadhouse’ may place Patrick Swayze in your mind, though Stephen Malkmus feels like the more useful reference once the song begins. Homework play with the loose confidence of Pavement while rooting the track firmly in Glasgow. You can imagine it spilling from a pub jukebox as conversations rise around it and glasses gather on nearby tables. Bright, forceful guitars lift the chorus sections, while the intervening passages sink into muddier tones. The chorus melody rises above it all before the band let the ending unravel in glorious fashion.
‘Salt’ gives the album room to settle. The guitars have a smooth, unhurried quality, with the merest hints of country twang appearing around their edges. Homework also reduce the lyrical density, leaving the instruments to take a larger share of the conversation. That choice suits the song. After several songs filled with rapid words and sharp changes, ‘Salt’ allows the melody and tone to lead the way.
Any suggestion that the album might be winding down disappears when ‘GVB’ comes charging through the door. Homework play with reckless energy, driving the song forward before abruptly dropping away. The pause lasts long enough to make you wonder what happened, then the entire band return with even greater force. The second verse is gloriously unruly, full of guitars and voices competing for space while the rhythm section keeps the song upright. Moments like this make me grateful Homework exist. They play indie rock as though every familiar convention offers another opportunity for mischief.
‘Ending Song’ closes the record and regularly performs the same duty during Homework’s live sets. It begins as a measured slow burner, giving the lyrics and guitars space to work alongside one another. The writing feels especially assured here, while the guitar figures continue changing around the vocal without distracting from it. The song carries the feeling of an ending that everyone would happily delay. When the line “I wish it wasn’t the end” arrives, it speaks for the band and anyone who has followed the record this far.
Bang Here If Stuck turns Homework’s live spontaneity into a debut album filled with wit, melody and unruly guitar playing. Pavement, Teenage Fanclub, The Vaselines and Urusei Yatsura provide useful reference points, while the personality running through these songs belongs entirely to Homework. Their sentimental side gives the noise warmth, and their fondness for odd lyrical turns keeps you returning to hear what you missed. Every play uncovers another guitar phrase, harmony or wee couplet hiding inside the commotion. If Homework ever find themselves stuck after a debut this good, they already know exactly where to bang.
Bang Here If Stuck is out September 25 via Meritorio Records. You can check it out over on the Homework Bandcamp page.
You can follow Homework on social media here…
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