I really thought I'd never live to see the day this came to pass. Let's face it, Terry Bickers' ejection from the original HOUSE OF LOVE at the dawn of the 1990s seemed irreversible. One too many heated arguments with vocalist/ leader Guy Chadwick led to the mercurial guitarist being physically ejected from the band's tour van - while it was still moving - leaving one of THE great white hopes of the rock press without its' master musician and the remaining trio to make a couple of fair-to-middling albums with journeymen guitarists and slog on towards an ending in the mid-90s that was ill-befitting of a group who'd once promised so much.
Bickers himself went on to gain a reputation for everything from unreliability to near-reclusiveness, and - despite the promise of their early material - also spectacularly blew it with his 90s outfit Levitation. Grey obscurity beckoned for both Bickers and Chadwick, and though the latter made an undervalued solo album for Setanta a few years back, it seemed like the shutters would forever remain drawn on The House Of Love's story of wasted ambition.
Until now. Yes, "Love You Too Much" (apparently a limited edition 7") is the first new House Of Love record for 12 years. Yes, it also features Terry Bickers, as well as Guy Chadwick and original drummer Pete Evans and - guess what? It really is like they've never been away. Really.
The artwork's a good sign. A suitably moody shot of Guy bathed in deep blue posing in (where else) Paris. Even though a street-level toilet has sneaked into the photo, he looks unimpeachably cool and still possesses those magnificently chiselled cheekbones. Tremendous.
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But it's when you actually give "Love You Too Much" a spin that you really start to marvel. Because it's magnificent. OK, it's a little more direct than they used to be and certainly not as kaleidoscopically dreamy, but from that euphoric opening burst of guitars on in, "Love You Too Much" is still the epitome of drop-dead indie cool. It's a beaty, crunchy, expectant Velvets-y groover of the highest quality and arguably catchier than The House Of Love have ever been. "I love your skin, your feel and your touch/ I love your eyes and the way that you watch," swoons Guy, as smitten as ever, while Terry brings on some exquisite heavy sonic artillery.
Flipside "Skies Alive", meanwhile, reminds us that The House Of Love could also pen a tremendously vulnerable acoustic ballad, and while this one's not quite up there with the likes of "Blind" and "Loneliness Is A Gun", it's still an attractive lament with a neo-madrigal quality and is lovely enough to pass muster.
I can tell you from experience that there's more due shortly where this comes from, but let's take our time and savour this one first. "Love You Too Much" is some return from two men we doubted would ever be in the same room as each other again, much less forging what could well be one of the year's best singles. Don't pinch me, I want the dream to last this time.
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