Formed in Tallin, Estonia, in 2007, Dan Kert (guitars, keys, vocals) and Paul Love (drums, backing vocals, guitars, keys, production) are Plastic Barricades. Prior to relocating to London in the middle of September 2012 they had toured on the back of five releases (“London Walk/Heavy World” single and “Metropolitan Paranoia” EP 2008; “Gamble Inc” EP 2009; and “Tree of Ideas” EP (2012)) and a music video (“Insomnia Seeds”).
Their discography and videography has since grown by eight more releases, including their debut album “Mechanics of Life” (2017), and their roster of musicians includes no fewer than eight drummers, bass players, and guitarists over the ten years 2007-2017! I wasn’t going to make the Spinal Tap reference because someone else beat me to it!
Accolades have included an Oxjam Band of the Year nomination, a placing in the Sziget Festival Battle of the Bands, and a gong in Songwall’s Songs in the Sky. They don’t sit on this recognition either, with three tours across the UK that included shows at London’s Hard Rock Café.
The pandemic hasn’t stopped them, either, with the release last week of their sophomore album “Self-Theories”. With Richard Butler-styled vocals over beat-driven effected alt-guitars, Plastic Barricades offer turn-about fun-sounding foot-tapping tunes and some diversions into the deep and meaningful. The album opener / single Tunnel and the follow-up Optimist are upbeat and joyous, with the latter playing with tempos / time-signatures. It isn’t until Weightless that the mood drops, but not in a bad way; we’re right back into it again with Right to be Adored. And I really like Spectators.
The record is finished off with a couple of demos, Everyone is Busy and Final Chance. Did they run out of time or funding for the tracking, or are these tempters for the next record? Only time will tell.
Plastic Barricades album “Self-Theories” is a collection of “nice” music. Something to play in the background at dinner or in a trendy inner-urban cafe … a backing track between spots at the local music show .. but stand-alone tracks in their own right just the same. They’re quite a busy collective and promise much in the years to come.