We all know that bland indie rock is all the rage at the moment and
everyone is following in the wake of those who came before. How is an indie band supposed to rise to the top of the ocean of crap that is careening it's way through the charts, the radio and the internet of late. It'll have to take something pretty damn impressive to make me pay even the slightest bit of attention.

Pharaohs not only have a name that has been taken many times before, but their style and form have been seen so many times before that and I can feel myself dismissing it before the end of the first bar. This is an unfair response, but my modern indie tolerance is at an all time low, as the genre becomes more saturated by the day.

Pharaohs have done nothing wrong, specifically, with their single 'Squashed Against My Wall'. It's pleasant and chirpy and well performed. The music is technically reliable and the sounds that are being produced are nice to hear, but what is there here that I can't hear done better elsewhere? Well, nothing much. 'Squashed Against My Wall' is on the softer, warmer edge of the indie genre, siding with the more poppy sounds, rather than going with something more avant-guard.

The singing is monotonous and droning as the singer shouts rather than being particularly tuneful. The guitar is the peak of the interest in the music, especially in the 2nd track on the single, where there is at least something a little bit interesting on show. This track is a bit more punchy and made my foot tap itself against the floor, which was strange. The first and third tracks are a radio and acoustic version of the title track and while mildly catchy, I find myself vaguely humming the chorus before forgetting how it goes and looking around, vaguely embarrassed.

As I say, it's not very very poor and I know that many kids that don't know any better will love Pharaohs. There's nothing wrong with that but in my curmudgeonly way, I'm going to be dismissive of 'Squashed Against My Wall'.