***Over the past year 2:54—sister duo COLETTE and HANNAH THURLOW—have established themselves as one of 2012’s most important breakthrough UK bands. Occupying a low-lit, vivid space, they unite a distinct concoction of ideas and influences that taps a rock and punk lineage notoriously anchored by the likes of Queens of the Stone Age and Kyuss. However, their sound neatly neighbours the darker, atmospheric reaches of today’s R’n’B finest, as well as timeless walls of sound. The fact 2:54 have picked up fans from all the above worlds and more is testament not only to their sophisticated and nuanced tastes, but just how compelling a proposition the music they make is. Yet it’s only now, with this their first full-length offering that the power of what they do will be revealed for all to see. The Thurlow sisters taught themselves to play guitar as teenagers, but it wasn’t until the closing moments of 2010 that the very first lo-fi 2:54 home demos leaked onto the web, prompting a flurry of critical acclaim that’s only ever grown with the band. Recorded mostly by Mercury-winning producer ROB ELLIS (PJ Harvey etc), and all mixed by the legendary ALAN MOULDER (Smashing Pumpkins, Nine Inch Nails etc), their debut album collects together a cohesive and captivating selection of highlights from their already burgeoning catalogue. Over the course of its 10 tracks it becomes clear that this is a rarefied, captivating affair, a beautifully sustained exercise in mood and tension that almost feels in a league and scene of its own. It’s a bewitching snapshot of 2:54 thus far and also a glimpse of the heady future that awaits them. (STREET DATE - 6/19/2012)