REVIEW: THE CUTTER & their new, self-titled, debut EP
It’s a good time to be gloomy. Feelgood, all-singing all-dancing pop exemplified by acts like CMAT may be getting the big headlines, but to every action there’s a corresponding reaction, and for fans of the darker stuff 2025 has been a vintage year. Hot on the heels of excellent albums from the likes of Heartworms and BDRMM, The Cutter join the ranks of a flourishing darkwave scene with their propulsive and absorbing self-titled debut EP.
Appropriately for a band that share a name with (in my humble opinion) the best Echo & the Bunnymen song, the Manchester trio’s two previous singles showcased a gift for widescreen gothic soundscapes laden with a deceptive amount of hooks. Romantic, but the romance of Depeche Mode rather than Spandau Ballet, of Bronte rather than Austen - yearning and visceral, with a tragic core. Not content to rest on their laurels even at this early stage, recent shows have demonstrated an increasing influence from electronic luminaries like LCD Soundystem and New Order.
Anyone looking for a one-stop summary of this development in their sound will find it in irresistible opener (and most recent single) ‘The Eyes’. Four-to-the-floor drums, layers of shimmering guitar and synth-drenched soundscapes unfold into a moody dancefloor banger with a timeless quality; it would grace ‘80s goth clubs, mid-’00s indie discos and alternative nights of any era alike. The progression in songwriting confidence and focus is immediately apparent. Producer Danny Blackburn’s dance-fueled treatment lends a muscular and vital feel to the track, all without overshadowing the intimate gloom of Ewan Kinrade’s vocals. Four minutes pass in a moment - it’s one of the strongest candidates for your ‘On Repeat’ playlists you’ll hear all year.
‘The Defector’ ups the tempo and the tension, Kinrade spitting out “there’s nothing in my blood/but the cocaine”. It’s the kind of compellingly uneasy groove some bands might be content to repeat for a whole song, but unfolds into a rising, synth-stabbed chorus reminiscent of fellow Mancunian contemporaries W.H. Lung. Follow-up ‘Stereotype’ sees guitarist Charlie Marriott shine, shoegaze squalls surrounding Kinrade’s tale of a sordid obsession over an unfaithful partner. Ending with the repeated lament “‘cause you know I’m sticking with you”, it’s invigorating, cinematic and relentless. Again, the production deserves a mention. The harnessed chaos of Blackburn’s band Adult DVD is invoked expertly here, the many disparate elements of The Cutter’s three members never being lost in the overall sound.
So far, so excellent, if trading on similar sounds. Variety comes in the form of the stately “anthem for self-sabotage” ‘You Look At Yourself’. Taking the tempo down, more space is given over to Lucy Green’s Vangelis-esque synthesisers for what is a beautiful and bittersweet closer. It’s a fitting end to an EP for a band with huge potential and an exciting variety of directions they can take their sound in. Now’s the perfect time to follow their journey.
Words: David Cuthbertson
