Jets To Zurich
Jets to Zurich are a quartet
from the South Wales valleys and just happen
to be a great group of guys I went through school with. Though I remember them
messing around with guitars and drums in the music room at lunch time, these
guys have now released two EP’s through Catalyst Records. ‘Crimson Tide’ and
‘Downward Spiral’ have both reached top 4 in the QBS Alternative Rock Chart in Qatar with
‘Downward Spiral recently going to number 1, beating Arctic Monkeys in the
process.
More recently the band have just signed with Middle Eastern based label Rickie Rocks Records and have began work on their second album. Our most recent release came as part of the 'This Is A Gunfight' split single alongside Tallulah Fix, Red Room Therapy and Recluse, and Jets were represented on the single by the track ‘Killing Time’.
‘Crimson Tide’ opens with an clean, uncomplicated ditty on the guitar that automatically flicks your ear and gets you interested, followed up with a drum line that is dynamic and provoking. As the song builds the bass guitar offers a strong platform for the vocals which are clean and grabbing. The song progresses into the chorus at which point the guitar turns dirty and all the instruments collaborate well together while the vocals become stronger and more powerful. The second half of the song is dominated by a powerful solo involving all instruments until such time that the last chorus gently leads you out. The song is catchy and reminiscent of classic rock styles.
‘Overdriver’ starts off with a pure and unadulterated gritty guitar line that instantly pommels you into the ground, and with the introduction of the drums shortly after it is evident that this will get people jumping. The vocals are low and deliberate with a pang of angst and frustration at the world. The song doesn’t evolve much past the repetitive notes laid down throughout the tune as it doesn’t have to, it works perfectly without the need for complicated drums or fancy guitar. The song is enjoyable and a mix of Silverchair and Nirvana – bands I enjoyed in my youth. A slight tempo change alters the songs direction before we are brought knee tremblingly into the chorus, the vocals raised and the bass hammering away. A nice touch of layered vocals is utilised before the song fades out to a close.
‘Downward Spiral’ begins with a dominating drum line that is quickly met with a hammering guitar and bass collaboration. As the vocals enter the song in the same low and dirty manner as ‘Overdriver’ the guitar transforms into a grungy, dirty line that is used through the verse. The chorus sees the guitar revert to being unaltered as the vocals repeat themselves a few times – a method well established in successful bands like Maiden and Metallica. Again with the second verse, the guitar becomes dirty and grainy, with the bass and drums holding the song up with short, powerful bursts of noise. The second chorus seems to ascend into a stunning guitar solo, swiftly followed by another burst of chorus which eventually fades to close.
‘Pyramid’, off the guys’ upcoming second album ‘Harmonics’, begins with a small guitar pluck reminiscent of the beginning of Foo Fighters’ ‘All My Life’ but is quickly taken over by an explosion of noise that threatens to punch you in the gut and tell you who the daddy is. There are strong, short bursts of energy punctuated by nice rasps of the hi-hat before the track morphs into a pseudo early 90’s rock-grunge hybrid. The vocals, delivered in Dale’s unique way, are raspy and cool in the verses until he kicks it up to 11 in the chorus with a strong, almost yelling manner. The bass at times is clearly discernable between the lines with the guitar perfectly distorted, almost always threatening to break into a solo. A nice solo is taken up by the bass three quarters through and is overtaken by an echoing guitar solo which is nice supported by all other instruments. This repeats along with the chorus until a dramatic, beautiful harmonic fade out.
Jets To Zurich are going to go places and fast. The music - gritty, determined and powerful, are beautifully balanced by the vocals which are clean and strong. I hope these guys all the best and I hope they remember me when they make it big as I’ll be saying, ‘I went to school with those guys’…
To find out more about Jets To Zurich, check out their Facebook page HERE.
More recently the band have just signed with Middle Eastern based label Rickie Rocks Records and have began work on their second album. Our most recent release came as part of the 'This Is A Gunfight' split single alongside Tallulah Fix, Red Room Therapy and Recluse, and Jets were represented on the single by the track ‘Killing Time’.
‘Crimson Tide’ opens with an clean, uncomplicated ditty on the guitar that automatically flicks your ear and gets you interested, followed up with a drum line that is dynamic and provoking. As the song builds the bass guitar offers a strong platform for the vocals which are clean and grabbing. The song progresses into the chorus at which point the guitar turns dirty and all the instruments collaborate well together while the vocals become stronger and more powerful. The second half of the song is dominated by a powerful solo involving all instruments until such time that the last chorus gently leads you out. The song is catchy and reminiscent of classic rock styles.
‘Overdriver’ starts off with a pure and unadulterated gritty guitar line that instantly pommels you into the ground, and with the introduction of the drums shortly after it is evident that this will get people jumping. The vocals are low and deliberate with a pang of angst and frustration at the world. The song doesn’t evolve much past the repetitive notes laid down throughout the tune as it doesn’t have to, it works perfectly without the need for complicated drums or fancy guitar. The song is enjoyable and a mix of Silverchair and Nirvana – bands I enjoyed in my youth. A slight tempo change alters the songs direction before we are brought knee tremblingly into the chorus, the vocals raised and the bass hammering away. A nice touch of layered vocals is utilised before the song fades out to a close.
‘Downward Spiral’ begins with a dominating drum line that is quickly met with a hammering guitar and bass collaboration. As the vocals enter the song in the same low and dirty manner as ‘Overdriver’ the guitar transforms into a grungy, dirty line that is used through the verse. The chorus sees the guitar revert to being unaltered as the vocals repeat themselves a few times – a method well established in successful bands like Maiden and Metallica. Again with the second verse, the guitar becomes dirty and grainy, with the bass and drums holding the song up with short, powerful bursts of noise. The second chorus seems to ascend into a stunning guitar solo, swiftly followed by another burst of chorus which eventually fades to close.
‘Pyramid’, off the guys’ upcoming second album ‘Harmonics’, begins with a small guitar pluck reminiscent of the beginning of Foo Fighters’ ‘All My Life’ but is quickly taken over by an explosion of noise that threatens to punch you in the gut and tell you who the daddy is. There are strong, short bursts of energy punctuated by nice rasps of the hi-hat before the track morphs into a pseudo early 90’s rock-grunge hybrid. The vocals, delivered in Dale’s unique way, are raspy and cool in the verses until he kicks it up to 11 in the chorus with a strong, almost yelling manner. The bass at times is clearly discernable between the lines with the guitar perfectly distorted, almost always threatening to break into a solo. A nice solo is taken up by the bass three quarters through and is overtaken by an echoing guitar solo which is nice supported by all other instruments. This repeats along with the chorus until a dramatic, beautiful harmonic fade out.
Jets To Zurich are going to go places and fast. The music - gritty, determined and powerful, are beautifully balanced by the vocals which are clean and strong. I hope these guys all the best and I hope they remember me when they make it big as I’ll be saying, ‘I went to school with those guys’…
To find out more about Jets To Zurich, check out their Facebook page HERE.