It was way way back on January 5th when this album first appeared. It is usually a hindrance in the compiling of my lists for an album to be released that early on in the year but for Sprints it has actually worked to their advantage. My compulsive listening when I’m out and about, is completely restricted to new releases and for a good three weeks in early January 2024  I had very little to work with so this got played again and again and again.

It is brilliant, absolutely brilliant. It is the sound of a bunch of youngsters taking numerous diverse genres and completely disregarding any of the walls that may exist between them. It is a frantic mismatch of alt-rock, grunge and the more metallic outposts of indie. It is stripped back, using it superlative riffs sparingly. It is full of emotional bile and feels raw and unfiltered. It is not a polished or overly produced album, instead, it gives the impression that they set up their instruments, started playing and just pressed record.

It just recaptures the excitement of young people playing rock music. They are steadfastly refusing to play by anybody’s rules and instead are just enjoying what they do. It is an angry and at times political album, but it doesn’t come across as self-righteous or preachy. Instead, the indignity and rage that they feel is channelled into the energetic portent of the music as opposed to chanting cut-and-paste slogans.

Karla Chubb’s vocal delivery is astonishing. It is sardonic, slurred and massively irreverent. The words nonchalantly slide out rather than being bellowed and she comes across as equally self-assured and unassuming. An absolutely magnificent album that, together with the aforementioned Last Dinner party and one more to come, has absolutely reaffirmed my love of indie this year.