It has been about a decade since the world heard from the mathy Oxford indie rockers TTNG. The band, formerly known as This Town Needs Guns, started in 2002, establishing a tricky but passionate sound that drew clear inspiration from Midwest bands like American Football. Original singer/guitarist Stuart Smith left the band after the release of their 2009 debut Animals, and they went on to release two more albums, the more recent of which was 2016's Disappointment Island. Now, TTNG are suddenly back, and Smith is in the band again.
Stuart Smith has actually been back in TTNG for a while. He returned in 2019, when they band celebrated the 10th anniversary of Animals with a tour. Other than that, though, the band hasn't been active — not until last night, anyway, when the band surprise-released a new three-song EP called Juggling Moves (Beginner). The new tracks immediately take me back to a time when emo and math-rock were two different sides of the same coin. Hear them for yourself below.
