Suburban
Speed

Rating: 8/10

by Jonathan Greer

It's often the case that new bands, particularly those within the realms of indie-rock, are more involved with making interesting sounds rather than writing interesting songs. Sea Pinks are one of the exceptions to this theory, because right from their first few albums - more or less recorded by singer/ guitarist Neil Brogan on his own - they always were focused on the song. Soft Days is the fifth full length to carry the Sea Pinks name, and like previous album Dreaming Tracks, it has been recorded in a proper studio with a full band, who certainly do the songs justice.

This is evident on the opening track '(I Don't Feel Like) Giving In' with its slow burning intro which threatens to turn into something spacy and psychedelic but instead it mutates into a sweeping dramatic tune - half jangle-pop, half punchy and epic.

Whilst the obvious comparisons are bands like the Go Betweens and Felt, they coincidentally resemble some lost (Northern) Irish acts of the late 80s - I'm thinking mainly of St Vitus Dance and Colenso Parade -acts signed to Probe Plus and Fire respectively, labels that I'm sure Sea Pinks would feel at home on.

It's hard to pick highlights as the songs seem stronger every time I revisit this album, but 'Depth of Field' is the stand-out track for me. It manages to capture that feeling of yearning or potential sadness/ heartbreak, that the Go Betweens did so well - and I love the way that the guitars are arranged too.

Catchy refrains are plenty but they are subtle rather than in your face, following on from the wistful acoustic guitars on 'Trend When You're Dead' or on the more straightforward 'Down Dog'. 'Green With Envy' is another infectious tune although the overall vibe is melancholic - "please don't lend me any sympathy if I don't wish you dead already." Sometimes the lyrics catch you off guard. For example, "The hawthorn smells like cum, only sweeter" is the remarkable and intriguing first line of 'Cold Reading'.

'Ordinary Daze' revolves around a classic cyclical garage-rock riff and he sings "calling out of context" perhaps as a nod to a non-obvious influence, Arthur Russell. 'Yr Horoscope' is uptempo and catchy, with twangy and jangly guitars and on 'Everything In Sight' the guitars sound more brittle and fragile at times until they layer acoustic and electric together to build a wall of sound.

Sea Pinks have been growing and gaining fans with each release, and it's possible that Soft Days may be the one to really turn a few heads. It consolidates the best bits of predecessor Dreaming Tracks and builds on them, and it is genuinely exciting to hear where they are going to go next.