Eel Men are a London 4 piece that have been around since 2022. This is their third EP and it's the follow up to 2025's stellar LP Stop It Do Something. On this EP, the band continue their sonic exploration into Nick Lowe / Elvis Costello type new wave-y, power pop, indie rock, whatever the hell you want to call it. The bottom line is this; Eel Men write damn good songs, they're weighty but at the same time appear to be carried by light, catchy melodies coupled with memorable guitar riffs. What Eel Men are not is arrogant, self important or brash in any way. Their songs do tend to have a senesce of gravity to them but never come off as snobby or too heady for their own good. This is rock n roll after all and these guys get that.
The fist tune up to bat is the title track "Glass Hammers". It's a riff heavy track, slower in tempo, but it pushes it's way into your conscience, slowly and steadily. The second song on the A-Side is a magnificent tune called "Key Metre Romance" and it's probably my favorite one on the record. It picks up the pace a bit and it has a super catchy chorus that'll have you humming it all through the work week! On the bus, to the market, and even as you sit down for your evening meal.
Now we move on to the B-Side and we get served up a little lyrical lament titled "When I Get Rich." A snappy and charismatic number that has a driving, pulsating bass line that'll move your feet to the beat weather you like it on not, so beware if you're in a public places! The last song, "Leave The Water In" rubs a little grit on the music. Once again, the bass lines are just so killer and totally drive the song right into the winners circle once again, for the fourth and final time on this record.
I've been a fan of Eel Men pretty much since day one. And although they haven't strayed too far from the path that they originally started off from, they certainly improved the conditions of the road and even began to forge a new one all together. And that right there is the mark of a band that you should be watching out for. A band that not only pays homage to their roots, but has vision enough to navigate into the uncharted waters. Sometimes brilliance doesn't explode like a volcanic eruption for the entire world to take note all at once. Often it starts to bubble up from below the surface and slowly begins to make its own, unmistakable mark on the landscape.
Get the 10" EP NOW of Flippant Records or No Front Teeth Records!
Eel Men on Instagram : eelmen_ldn