Tumbler - Come To The Edge
- Written by Julia Lamb
Comprised of a father, son and record producer, Tumbler is the three-piece Epsom band marrying folk with modern rock. Where their widely acclaimed debut album You Said kept to a relatively unchanging formula of plucky acoustic guitars and safely homespun tunes, the band’s latest work ventures into new territories.
Come to the Edge is Tumbler’s 12-track sophomore album. The record enlists two lead vocalists, at times fronted by father Richard Grace’s aged-like-fine-wine vocals and at other times led by his son Harry’s contemporary energy. Come to the Edge shifts between instances of folk, alt-rock and a combination of the two: track one ‘Black Sheep’ embodies the latter. Opening with a bluesy groove and violins, the song soon edges into an overdriven, Black Keys-esque number that’s full of grit and gutsiness. It’s a strong album opener, and immediately sets the blueprint attitude for much of the record to follow.
Where Richard Grace’s voice draws resemblance to Ray Davies in the present day, his son, Harry, sings with the same sense of restlessness as Davies’ younger self. ‘Falling’ is perhaps the album’s furthest step away from folk, with its ambitious, string-adorned chorus and high-rising lead guitar lines throughout: “All these individual moments are just components that all lead back to you”. More humble tracks like ‘Winter Cold Heart’ and ‘Joanne’ take the album in a far different direction, one that brings Simon & Garfunkel to mind.
Come to the Edge is an eclectic record, but its strong sense of identity keeps each varied track feeling relevant within the space of a single record.