A strong debut single should do more than introduce a name. It should establish a sense of atmosphere, emotional purpose and the direction an artist might take once the first song has opened the door. And with ‘Rainbows’, Gateshead four-piece Montelimar make that opening feel expansive, bringing decades of British guitar tradition into contact with the restlessness and uncertainty of the present.
The band’s sound begins with the long-running creative partnership between vocalist Aeron Corbett and guitarist Tim Cox, whose shared interest in shoegaze and psychedelia gradually led them back towards the melodic foundations of classic pop songwriting. Bassist Mike O’Neill and drummer Luke Norris complete the line-up, adding the rhythmic movement and ensemble character required to push the material beyond a songwriter-and-guitarist project.
And that chemistry appears central to ‘Rainbows’. Recorded at Blank Studios in Newcastle with producer John Martindale, the song was shaped around the feeling of four musicians responding to one another rather than being assembled through isolated studio parts. The approach gives the track a natural sense of progression, allowing its quieter opening passages to develop towards something broader and more emotionally charged.
Twelve-string guitar provides much of the song’s brightness. Its ringing tone immediately recalls the melodic richness of The Byrds and The Beatles, while the close harmonies and understated warmth suggest the enduring influence of Teenage Fanclub and The La’s. Yet Montelimar don’t appear interested in presenting these references as museum pieces. The familiar colours are placed inside an arrangement that reaches towards a more immersive, modern form of guitar music.
As a first release, ‘Rainbows’ is unusually assured. It establishes the band with a clear affection for melodic British guitar music, but also one willing to stretch those foundations through texture, pacing and a more exploratory sense of scale.
‘Rainbows’ doesn’t attempt to reinvent guitar pop through force. Its strength lies in the care with which familiar elements are brought together: chiming strings, layered voices, rhythmic patience and an emotional arc that grows more vivid with every passing section.
Bright without becoming simplistic and nostalgic without remaining trapped in memory, the single offers an impressive first chapter from a band that already sounds prepared for what comes next.
