I’ve got to say, I am not a fan of instrumental bands and always feel that the lack of vocals leaves too large a gap in the overall sound, no matter how good the musicians happen to be. When I first came across CUTE I had no idea they were such a brute and maybe would have passed them by had I known. But hey, I listened and quickly recognised that they are actually a very good outfit indeed.

In order to gain recognition as an instrumental band, the musicians have to be accomplished and this lot are certainly that. Further research reveals that they are merely a duo, which make the resultant sound that much more remarkable. Harking from Hamburg, Martin Grimm plays guitars and Chris Burda keyboards, whilst they both have a bash on the drums.

SYSTEMBREAKDOWN is their self-released debut album and is a carefully assembled collection of pieces that illustrate their virtuosity incredibly well. Right now, you may be disinterested but the manner in which they perform needs to be listened to. From ethereal melodies to swamping magnum opus grandeur, they are clearly a capable couple of guys. The number of musical sub-genres these days is crazy and ‘post rock’ is perhaps one of more absurd tags but that is where these guys sit. If you are an aficionado of Mogwai then you will fall in love with CUTE too. There is a harder edge to much of the material here though and they gave me fond memories of My Vitriol in full flow. At other times, they enter a more progressive field and again seem able to pull it off with ease.

They haven’t made me change my mind and I remain convinced that the addition of vocals would be hugely beneficial, but they deserve credit for exercising their creative freedom here in such a formidable manner. I recommend!

3.5/5

TC

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