TTNG, also known as This Town Needs Guns, the name of the band until 2013, is a math rock band from Oxford, England and is signed to American label Sargent House Records. To give some background, math rock (or math "musical genre" anything), is a genre that is characterized by changing time signatures and experimental song composition/structuring. The guitars also sound fairly distinct, as math rock bands typically use as an alternative tuning as opposed to the standard E A D G B E tuning. Describing the genre can make it sound a lot more intimidating than it is, but it's really quite nice.
In fact, I remember reading an album reviewer discuss a TTNG live performance, in which he discussed that the band's songs kept the audience on their toes, as they were bobbing their heads to one rhythm only to have the song change time signatures and leave the audience guessing, in a good way, if I remember correctly.
According to Google, TTNG formed in 2004, yet they released their first demo EP in 2003, aptly named "First Demo." Since then, they have released an EP in 2006, two full-lengths in 2008 and a full-length in 2013, their first with their new singer, the ex-Penines singer Henry Tremain, after their previous singer of seven years (2004-2011), Stuart Smith, left the band to focus on his new family. The album is entitled "13.0.0.0.0," which apparently references the Mayan calendar. However, the band's first break-through single was "26 Is Dancier Than 4," which was on their eponymous album of 2008, though their album "Animals," released that same year, saw the band gain an international audience.
I think math musicians are extremely talented and possess a different set of skills when compared to their more traditional counterparts, and TTNG is no exception. Everything about the group is so spot-on. Their current vocalist, Henry Tremain, does a good job of trying to fill Stuart Smith's shoes, which is by no means an easy job. Both vocalists have an extreme control over their voices, with falsettos that have an incredible amount of power in them. The lyrics themselves also deserve special mention, as they have this funny way of getting stuck in your head.
The guitarist Tim Collis is equally mesmerizing. I am no guitarist, but Tim Collis seems like he is one of the more influential ones, as his style of playing and compositions are so different yet so good. In fact, that was the first thing that caught my attention when I listened to them for the first time (the song was "Chinchila," off their "Animals" album. Tim Collis' brother, Chris Collis, plays the drums and is no less impressive. As a drummer myself, I feel that Chris Collis is absolutely dripping with talent. His style of playing, his fills, everything he does is so well-timed and executed.
So if math rock interests you at all, or TTNG (also accessible if you search This Town Needs Guns) piques your interest, then check out these extremely talented groups of musicians just across the pond.
