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| The Spitfires - Dead? Good! EP |
B52's meet Arctic monkeys, is my immediate thought when the riff from track 1 "Shallow Grave" fills my ear canal. Then the vocals come in and I find myself asking, why does this band from WA sound so British? After a little research I discover guitarist, singer, songwriter and somewhat eccentric front man Sean Regan isn't an Australian native. He wasn't born here and he definitely doesn't sound like he's from here, however after the last chorus from "Shallow Grave" rings out I can't help but feel optimistic about this WA based three piece.
Track 2 "Skeletons" picks up right where "Shallow Grave" left off. It's a catchy punk number with a British guitar twang and a sing-a-long chorus. Track 3 "Qui Aime Bien Chatie bien" is another example of the sound The Spitfires have mastered and by this song's end we realise this band isn't just guitar noise and British cross Aussie piss taking. Both Paul Bovenkerk (bass) and Alex Hay (drums) are a credit to the album, the drums keep the tunes pumping while the bass happily skips along dreamily.
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| The Spitfires |
"Jumped" track 4, once again this tune has great guitar sounds and the right combination of tempo change. However the vocals and lyrics in this tune let it down a bit for me. How could this be you ask? Especially with lyrics such as "are you really depressed or what", "that's a nice haircut mate, do you reckon his mum cut it for him" and "grab a hold of my kebab Steve, no you can't have a bite". I'm sorry, I can't help but cringe. However once the final track "Ravensthorpe" kicks in you realise "Jumped" was necessary. If for nothing else than to bring your hopes down a little so "Ravensthorpe" can pick them up again and leave you with a good taste in your mouth. The riffs are, in my opinion, the best thing about The Spitfires. The bass lines and guitar riffs fit together perfectly. Sean Regan manages to make his guitar squeal and squirm and sound almost as eccentric and pissed off as his lyrics do, while the bass does its job keeping the guitar from being too over the top, serious and in your face. When focusing on the bass I can't help but imagine an out of context little boy skipping through the cobblestone streets trying to catch cauliflower moths. However all daydreaming aside, this is a brilliant EP from a great up and coming WA act. Do yourself a favour and pick up a copy of Dead? Good! or download it from iTunes.
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