Steeped in the sounds of the classic songwriters of the mid-sixties to late seventies, Nick Frater‘s latest release is an enjoyable, affectionate nod to those acts, so opening track ‘The Pleasure Is Mine‘ is like a coming together of Gerry Rafferty, 10cc and Motown. Much of Aerodrome Motel is that kind of nostalgic trip, as we continue with ‘Love Heist‘ – one of the highlights here which, along with ‘Stuck In My Ways‘, recalls the likes of Dave Edmunds or Nick Lowe. Whereas ‘Dancing With A Gertrude‘ has shades of The Kinks.
Listening to Aerodrome Motel, it’s clear that Frater doesn’t give a damn about pushing envelopes nor developing exciting new genres, but let’s face it, when you can write songs as catchy and agreeable as those on his fourth long player under his own name, why SHOULD he give a damn about that?
‘No Hard Feelings‘ brings a change of pace, the balladry here being more reminiscent of nineties indie sobsters Embrace, and it’s rather lovely, but the best track here is the record’s closing number, ‘White Courtesy Telephone‘. That track is a masterclass in how to effectively build a song, from its modern beginnings, bringing in a country twang, some quite beautiful harmonies that I suspect came as a direct result of listening to The Beatles on a fairly regular basis, and a kind of aching yearn that is hard to resist. Despite being a relatively slow paced tune in a 3/4 time signature, it somehow manages to be both pretty and invigorating.
Before that, ‘Dear Modern Times‘ has already gone some way to confirming Frater’s admiration for the Lennon/McCartney writing partnership, though there are moments elsewhere that suggest Ian Broudie aka The Lightning Seeds might possibly also be an influence.
The lovely ‘American Expressways‘, immediately preceding ‘White Courtesy Telephone‘, completes a double whammy payout of ‘great without being spectacular’ curtain closers, which is actually quite refreshing. It’s very much in the vein of the British Invasion bands of the mid to late sixties, which is unusual to hear in an era when most modern pop records – specifically chart ones – seem incapable of finishing any sentence without at least a couple of expletives.
Nick Frater doesn’t need to do that, he merely lets his musical chops do the talking. It’s just a pity we’re not living in the 1970s right now, because if we were, I’m pretty sure that Nick Frater would absolutely have been a household name.
Aerodrome Motel is released on 19th August 2022.
