London-based garagers Telegram is arriving hard and fast; their head-spinning third single “Rule Number One” lays down the law, and looks handle-bar fabulous while doing it.
While their debut album is still in its fetal stages, Telegram has been busy fanning the flames with quality singles through their own label GramGram, like “Follow” and “Under the Night.” They’ve got a good grasp of glam-theatric melodies to set one dreaming of Big Stars and Stooges, with an immediacy to their performances that pushes past nostalgia into an ambitious present.
Like the previous singles, “Rule Number One” balances accessible hooks with an instrumental attack able to torch whole forests in the wake of a single, sliding, dizzying riff. I’m loving Matt Saunder’s clipped, Ramones-vocals, so small yet fierce in a vortex of flanger and firecracker percussion. If you like what you hear, check out the ripping lo-fi video to “Follow,” and marvel at how much guitarist Matt Wood looks remarkably like yet another Matt: the one from Dazed and Confused.
