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Spring Offensive

Pull Us Apart

Written by: TL on 31/08/2010 23:13:05

From out of nowhere and into my inbox has come a promo edition of "Pull Us Apart", the debút LP of Oxford five-piece Spring Offensive. I've been spinning the disc idly while going about trivial day-to-day kind of things in my aparment, and somehow, more than a few of its lines have managed to creep under my skin. Surely, that's a good sign, but what of the sound?

Well, hard to describe really. The band gets compared to Frank Turner, which I get, given that the approach is a mellow and minimalistic one, however, there are still enough contributions from both drums and indie-ish guitar lines to reveal that there's more than a single man at play. Moreover, the delivery of the singer in the centre of it all, is more edgy and discontent, reminding me in places of Brian Molko (Placebo) and The Ghost And The Grace.

Regardless, if you haven't heard the band, the thing to know is that their sound is actually rather subtle, yet cleverly intricate, balancing quirky song progressions with well sung hook-repetition. The resulting record is a well produced batch of songs, of which the three first ones are especially memorable, something dare say given that I find myself reciting the lines each time they echo from my speakers. The remaining four however, have unfortunately failed to make the same kind of impression on me, falling instead into the category of "pleasant background music". Granted, it's not too big of a fall, but it does of course measure up the remaining length of metaphorical road to be stretched before arriving at greatness. Still though, while I don't have as much of a novel as usual to write about Spring Offensive, those three first songs really are rather good, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend you check them out.

Download: I Found Myself Smiling, Abacus Rex, Every Coin
For The Fans Of: The Ghost And The Grace, Frank Turner, Joey Groon, Placebo, Mumford & Sons
Listen: myspace.com/springoffensive

Release Date March 2010
Self-released