The Rumble Strips - Girls And Weather
Whilst it's been a long time coming, these guys make up for their tardiness with a twelve-track aural assault you won't soon forget.
What happens when you throw The Mystery Jets, The Kooks and Dexys Midnight Runners into an indie-pop-rock blender? You'll get yourself a nice tall glass of The Rumble Strips, that's what.
This Devonshire-born foursome's debut album has been in the works for a good while (the first single was released way back in December 2005), but despite making fans wade through a sea of singles, they've crafted a cracking album which brings a range of new influences to the table and raises the bar for indie bands across the board.
The first thing to notice on listening to 'Girls And Weather' is the ska-indie fusion sound that only these guys can really pull off right now. It's infectious to the degree that you'll start wondering how you missed the ska boat the first time round. Songs like 'Oh Creole' allow for a little more scope, with a more sombre attitude seeping from every horn, but it's the undercurrent of optimism in frontman Charlie Waller's voice that keep them from ever stooping into the melancholy.
Whilst comparisons can be drawn to recent indie-pop acts such as Razorlight and The Kooks (particularly vocally), The Rumble Strips manage to carve out a unique place for themselves in today's milky-grey indie scene; with tight instrumentation, vocally dramatic theatrics and the ability to rouse a smile from the most jaded music fans, they're certainly a cut above the rest.
Overall, 'Girls And Weather' is a tremendous effort and whilst it's been a long time coming, these guys make up for their tardiness with a twelve-track aural assault you won't soon forget. They may be named after a speed control device, but this outfit show no signs of slowing down.
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