In summary:

Proving we don’t always learn from our mistakes, Gun’s sixth album is a slight misstep from the usually reliable rockers by treading too closely to the pop sound of their disastrous fourth LP. There are some catchy tunes here, but the production never lets them shine as brightly as they could have.

Frantic receives 5/11.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Few expected Gun to pull up any trees when they reunited in 2012 minus ex-singer Mark Rankin, but their comeback LP turned out to be among the best of their career.

Sadly, 2015 follow-up Frantic cannot build upon that success.

That’s not to say there aren’t any great songs here (in fact there are a few), but the album’s softer musical direction ultimately prevents the Glaswegian rockers from doing what they do best, and robs the new material of the chance to shine as brightly as it could have.

Producer Simon Bloor and the band most likely took this decision to make their sound more accessible to the masses in a bid to achieve some long-overdue chart recognition, but it’s a move which ultimately backfires as it hamstrings the album from the get-go. The loud guitars and thunderous drums which made Gun one of the UK’s most dependable rock acts throughout the 1990s (and again in 2012) have been mixed into the background here, and now sit behind layers of jangly rhythm sections, horns (indeed), and backing singers.

Curtain raiser Let It Shine sets the tone for what’s to come on Frantic, with a gospel choir intro and formulaic riff leaving you feeling somewhat disappointed that the incredibly strong chorus wasn’t put to better use. This is a trend which continues on Labour Of Life, with another electric chorus being deflated by a lacklustre support structure, and the downright unlistenable Beautiful Smile.

The record is at its best when Gun take things back to basics as they do on Seraphina.

Eagle-eyed Gun fans will recognise that an early version of this track was included on an EP released soon after band’s 2009 reunion (with Toby Jepson on vocals), but the version we get here is much more polished. It’s now a top tier rocker, with a stomp-along melody which is perfectly suited to Dante Gizzi’s bending Axl Rose-esque vocals.

Other standout moments on the LP include the fabulous Big City (an ode to their hometown of Glasgow), catchy title track Frantic, the anthemic Hold Your Head Up, and Gizzi’s vulnerable lyrics about male mental health on potential hit single One Wrong Turn.

“Well I’ve built up my resistance,
To things a man shouldn’t feel.”

ONE WRONG TURN

The extended cut of the album (the aptly titled More Frantic) did succeed in scratching Gun’s itch for chart success by featuring a decent cover of Hot Chocolate’s Every1’s A Winner, which was subsequently picked up by LuckyChap Entertainment for the soundtrack to the Margot Robbie ice skating drama I, Tonya.

All of this is scarce consolation to most fans, of course, who would’ve preferred they could a straight-ahead rock record. Any Gun fans out there with a long memory may recall that Gun made a similar mistake with the musical direction on disastrous fourth LP 0141 632 6326 (1997), where they followed up the super heavy Swagger (1994) with what was essentially a pop album in a bid to update their sound.

While it’s alarming that they almost made the same mistake twice, the good news the good news this time around is that the damage is nowhere near as devastating because, unlike 0141, the songs on Frantic are actually pretty strong – we just wish they were louder!

In summary:

Proving we don’t always learn from our mistakes, Gun’s sixth album is a slight misstep from the usually reliable rockers by treading too closely to the pop sound of their disastrous fourth LP. There are some catchy tunes here, but the production never lets them shine as brightly as they could have.

Frantic receives 5/11.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

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