Lawns: Be a Better Man

By Jon Milton

Lawns ‘Be a Better Man’ is a great debut album. Rarely do you hear an album that sounds so good from the off with such a bunch of varied styles and approaches combined. It has energy and ambition that reminds me of other notable debuts from the post punk seventies and eighties: Gang of Four’s ‘Entertainment’, Joy Division’s ‘Unknown Pleasures’ and That Petrol Emotion’s ‘Manic Pop Thrill’ to name but a few. 

Be a Better Man gets off to a belting start with ‘I Remember’ and the ferocious ‘Misinterpretations’. ‘Bottled Up’ and ‘Best’ settle things down, followed by the abrasive 'Interlude', before ‘Surf’ picks up the pace again. Although billed as ‘German Punks’ the songwriting here is far more cultured than the punk element suggests. Songs like ‘Eggshells’, ‘Surf’, ‘16’ and ‘Friends’ are extremely well crafted, although the band stop themselves from getting overtly technical through the all-out assault of ‘The Worrier’ and ‘You’. 

Overall, the ingenuity and blending of styles works a treat, with influences like early Velvet Underground and label mates TRAAMS coming in loud and clear alongside those already mentioned.