Small town life gets more epic on this promising four-track offering from the Midlands trio.
“From the floor, you could see two pairs of Converse,” roll the words of The Reels frontman Mitch Spencer on “Spit Me Out,” the fiery garage punk opener of his new “After Test” EP. It speaks directly to the spirit and aesthetic of this playful guitar trio from the lush-but-humble Midlands town of Lincoln: young love and kitchen-sink melodrama told through ’00s indie dreams.
Having met as teenagers at a skatepark before coming together over their shared love of Arctic Monkeys, The Libertines, Oasis and the Pixies, Crystal Stone Magazine, NME 100 2022 alumni The Reels have built up a national following and decent following with consecutive singles and EPs. has received radio play. Their songs worship at the altar of the Meet Me in the Bathroom era but are delivered with the freshness, gusto and purity that can only come from mates playing because there’s little else they can do to escape small-town boredom. .
What he’s got in spades is the skills of a brazen indie banger; Check out ‘Landslide’, which is being followed by the pop ferocity of Two Door Cinema Club as well as a promotional night by The Cribs. The flavors they carry are what some snobs would write off as “landfill,” but that’s not what they are for. It’s for young guitar lovers and loyalists coming of age who confounded the media by getting regional bands to number one, students still packing Leadmill and Academy club nights, and hungry teenagers who The Courtners hold stadium gigs.
This is a promising indie band pulling everything off their heels. There’s fun and life in their music, but there’s also a lot of heart. ‘Falling Apart’ is a grunge bop charting the return of a relationship in decline that will make you dance while crying your snake bite, while true EP highlight and closer ‘Brayford Odeon’ turns into a genuine heartbreaker. shows the most promise as
“Do you remember when we moved in together – those days we spent when it felt like we were all alone? Because I do,” Spencer sighs softly. His voice is rife with a raucous and poetic indie troubadour vulnerability that’s not dissimilar to Pete Doherty in solo or early Babyshambles mode as he tries to navigate the romance flowing from the car park of Lincoln’s central and overarching cinema. Speaking as a fellow Yellowbelly Lincolnite, this writer has literally been there, but you don’t need our cathedral city to get goosebumps when he makes stunning mandolin kicks and small-town life feel more epic.
Detail
Release date: March 17
Record label: Nice Swan Records