Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. ; Maps

Ella Selfe

Since 2004, Sam Duckworth and his band have shown their talent and with the stage name Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly. and they have made quite a name for themselves. 2011 saw Sam releasing his first solo album (‘The Mannequin’) under his name rather than GCWCF but less than a year later, with the band back in the picture, we are presented with ‘Maps’ which boasts the talent of both Sam’s vocals and the band members.

The album shows the influence of Sam’s range of musical interest, but without him straying too far from his comfort zone and what he is known for. The growth from 2010’s self-titled is clear and it highlights the bands versatility, showing the influence of bands like Blur on some of the songs. It is clear that Sam has been influenced by a range of different approaches, but each of the songs still tie together to make a great album.

The Real McCoy is a perfect opening track, immediately grabbing the listener’s attention with the clever lyrics and catchy chorus. During the verses the instruments are a lot quieter, showing off Sam’s vocal talent, but as soon as the chorus kicks in, so does the band, creating a classic indie-pop tune that will have you tapping your feet throughout.

Daylight Robbery is the third and title track of the record and another infectious tune, the backing vocals putting more depth into the track making it even more irresistible to sing along. With an acoustic guitar accompanying the opening backing vocals, it soon breaks down with the drums into an up-tempo great title track.

The Joy Of Stress begins more mellow, with purely the piano accompanying the vocals at the beginning, joined by an acoustic guitar a little later into the song. This tune is a great one to show off Sam’s talent and it is a pleasant surprise when the beat kicks in as it becomes another toe-tapper and continues to show the on-going talent of GCWCF.

Snap is a pure great indie-pop track, with strong acoustic guitar and drum talent boasted throughout the song, along with the continued impressive voice of Sam Duckworth. The harmonies are very noticeable, adding more depth and expressiveness to the tune and although it’s the shortest on the album, it is definitely a stand-out track.

The Long and Short of it All is another stand-out and continues to show Sam’s range of music interests and GCWCF’s versatility as a band as it features Jehst, a UK artist on the hip-hop scene. This makes the song different to the others on the record, but the backing vocals and use of a wide range instruments means it doesn’t leave the indie-pop behind. The rhythm in the chorus is catchy and it’s impossible not to catch yourself dancing in one way or another.

All of the songs come together to make a great, catchy, toe-tapping, indie-pop record, continuously highlighting Sam’s vocal talent and the versatility of GCWCF as a whole. It is laid back but still infectious and one that could easily be put on repeat for a very long time. This may just become the soundtrack to your summer!