For Keeps by The Field Mice

Over the course of more than half a dozen singles, EPs and mini-albums released on Sarah Records, The Field Mice had experimented with a vast range of sounds and styles, so the sheer diversity of their first and only full-length LP should come as no surprise; what is extraordinary, though, is that, from languid opener Five Moments - Anne Mari Davies’s voice drifting coolly through a summer haze of shuffling rhythms overlaid with phased guitar - to pummelling nihilistic finale Freezing Point, the ten tracks never feel anything other than part of a single, unified vision, with Willow’s spare, simply stated emotion (“don’t you go thinking I never did love you...”) - again sung by Anne Mari, this time over a lilting acoustic guitar accompaniment - sitting comfortably alongside the epic guitar soundscapes of Star of David and distorted fuzz of This is Not Here. And everywhere the album contains some of Bobby Wratten’s most haunting and enigmatic lyrics, whether they're detailing the heightened tedium of a long-haul flight back from Japan (“twice in a row while flying home we listened to From Silver Lake...”) or a reverie-filled late-night trudge home through south London from Norbury station.

The Field Mice began as a duo of Bobby Wratten (vocals, guitar) and Michael Hiscock (bass), old schoolfriends from south London. Harvey Williams (aka Another Sunny Day) joined on additional guitar and by the time of their final recordings for Sarah Records they were a 5-piece, with Mark Dobson playing drums and Anne Mari Davies on vocals, keyboards and guitars.