Spoilers – Stay Afloat MLP (Boss Tuneage)
If I have one major gripe with this record, it\’s simply that it\’s not long enough! I know the old adage of \”leave the crowd wanting more\” is always a good mantra for bands to live by, but honestly guys, with melodic punk this good, you need to give us more. Each of the six tunes on here is a winner, with \”Summer\” splashed all over them as one anthemic melody chases the next. It\’s not plain pop-punk, in fact this is a prime example of what I would have called melodic hardcore back in the day, and if you want or need those comparisons then think of the likes of Gorilla Biscuits, Snuff, Face To Face or Exit Condition for reference. I mentioned a couple of UK bands there and Spoiler\’s vocalist manages to avoid the trap that many fall into of putting on an American accent, which just makes the whole thing sound natural and unpretentious. When I first got this, I think I played the second tune \”Freaked\” back to back something like four or five times, this is a serious contender for this year\’s Summer anthem, but repeat listens do bring all the tunes up to the same level. Although these guys feature members of bands such as Southport and 7 Day Conspiracy so you can almost anticipate a certain level of quality, this well exceeds expectations. A record I\’ve listened to non-stop since I got it, and no doubt will carry on doing for this Summer and beyond. Tom Chapman