Gaz Coombes – Turn the Car Around

Supergrass were one of the largest British groups of the 1990s, responsible for hits like Alright and Caught by the Fuzz. Lead singer Gaz Coombes has released three acclaimed records since 2012, with his last, the superb World’s Strongest Man, coming in 2018. His solo work is a far cry from the Britpop-oriented sounds of Supergrass. Coombes returns with his latest solo endeavour, Turn the Car Around, further establishing him as a stellar musician in his own right, following Supergrass’s reunion tour of the past couple of years.

Overnight Trains begins the record in epic fashion, with a slow build-up and layered sound crescendoing to a thundering climax. Don’t Say It’s Over opens driven by a propulsive drumbeat, but gradually guitars come into play, allowing Coombes to show his prowess in this department with an extended solo. This is a fine track that manages to wonderfully combine its disparate elements, displaying Coombes’s dexterity as a musician and vocalist.

Feel Loop feels reminiscent of Radiohead in the early 2000s, the likes of Kid A or Hail to the Thief, blending Coombes shimmering guitars with a more electronic beat to fine effect, a demonstration of his willingness to experiment on his solo material that helps it stand apart from Supergrass. Long Live the Strange has more of a pop feel that skews closer to the band’s sound, and will surely be a prominent feature in live sets.

Not the Only Ones is an ambient, acoustic-led track that draws on elements of trip-hop and presents a departure from others on the album. Whilst more melancholic, this is another luscious song that hooks itself around Coombes’s ethereal vocals, and whilst the longest at five minutes 37, it doesn’t drag as it reaches its epic finale.

One of this album’s strengths is the way it can manage the experimentation found on World’s Strongest Man, but still be accessible and sound drastically different to its predecessor, as exemplified on the title track. This Love again shows Coombes’s vocals in fine fettle, displaying his range, and at times is reminiscent of some of Beck’s work without feeling derivative.

Turn the Car Around is another stellar effort in the frontman’s solo career, a better showcase for his proficiency as a guitarist but still revealing an ear for different styles. If less experimental than Matador or World’s Strongest Man, this is the sign of an artist confident in his ability and keen to depart from the sound one might expect of someone from Supergrass, not dissimilar to the solo works from Damon Albarn and other Blur members.

Coombes here further cements himself as a force to be reckoned with who shows no signs of slowing down, and, over 25 years into his career, is in as fine voice as he’s ever been, which fans will have seen at Supergrass’s most recent gigs. This is an immaculately produced, eclectic set of tracks that will have fans lapping up every moment of, capturing all that makes Coombes such a versatile and important artist.

Christopher Connor
Image: Tom Cockram

Turn the Car Around is released on 13^th January 2023. For further information or to order the album visit Gaz Coombes’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Don’t Say It’s Over here: