This is a debut album that I’ve had on repeat since its release on 5th January this year. And it really does get better every time.
With 11 tracks coming in at just under 40 minutes, it’s a fast-paced record at one level, but it doesn’t feel rushed; and nor do the individual tracks sound overly pacey or unsubtle. In fact, in those 40 minutes, SPRINTS manage to explore an impressive range of vibes and feelings.
The album comes just over four years after SPRINTS properly formed (although they've known each other for much longer). It feels like the band are at that wonderful point of discovering who they are and what they stand for - they've secured their space in the world as a group, and they're excited to explore it.
The band describe the album as "an exploration of pain, passion and perseverance", and you can see what they mean almost immediately. Opening track ‘Ticking’ offers something of a masterclass in expressing emotion, anxiety in particular. It starts with an ominous bass drum beating like a tense heart: and then Karla begins intoning what sounds like a perfect summation of the internal monologue of modern life.
Maybe I should do it better
Maybe I should try it harder
Maybe I should check the weather
Maybe I should bring a sweater ...
It goes on (wonderfully featuring lyrics in German later - it sounds entirely plausible, trust me), soon to be joined by rushing guitar chords and full drums. The production of the cymbals is a brilliant touch - pushed to the background, slightly muffled, like a rush of blood in the ears. If you weren't in tune with what SPRINTS are trying to say at the start, you should be by now.
The second track, 'Heavy', at first sounds like it could be an extension of 'Ticking'; a similar chord progression and pace, and that low-pitched vocal from Karla to start. But this one opens up a lot more, guitars wailing, the bassline taking on more of the melody. This is a song to jump around to; the album version acting as a great warm up to what I'm certain would be a great live experience.
After this energetic start, track four, 'Shaking Their Hands' has some (fractionally) more reflective moments and features some gorgeously fuzzed guitars which somehow rush and float at the same time, soar and a prominent, high register bassline. Out of this multi-layered grunge-inspired sonic soup, an acoustic guitar emerges at times - the rest of the instruments parting like the proverbial Red Sea to allow it in, before closing over the top again.
The next section of the album sees SPRINTS giving themselves a little more breathing space, and more time to experiment with their core sound. By track six, 'Shadow of a Doubt', things have slowed down a bit.
But just a bit. And not for long. 'Can't Get Enough Of It' comes next, and this one features a relentless shimmery guitar theme riff topped with huge, metallic riffs (IDLES-esque to me). This is when the subtle variations in the record start to hit home: although this album is not experimental or entirely groundbreaking, it’s interesting. It’s a record where the band plays around with an audible and very credible theme; there’s a real “sound” to it, an infectious energy, a rebellious undercurrent, a clear intent. It’s a record in which the band introduces itself without apology or self-consciousness, but nevertheless in a supremely well-thought-out and believable way.
'Literary Mind' is where SPRINTS present a more unique side to their collective character. It’s a catchy but unusual track, rapidly-paced, again, in all the instrumentation, and also making use of layered vocals. The song has a slightly panicked feel, but it’s an exciting, thrilling, cathartic kind of panic, accurately summing up the feeling of falling in love, just like the writers intended. I particularly enjoy the section near the end when the male, intoned vocal sits over a crunchy guitar, which builds and builds as it picks out open chords.
There’s another clever segue into the next track, here: ‘A Wreck (A Mess)’ could easily be a continuation of the song which came before; the pace continues and there’s a sense of the emotions and feelings of a relationship unfolding.
After ‘Up And Comer’ (an initially brooding song which ends up coming through as delivering a hard-hitting, tortured slap in the face to those who judge) we finally reach the title track, right at the end of the album. 'Letter To Self' announces itself with echoing drumstick clicks, and then rumbles in like a take-no-prisoners alt-rock behemoth, with the lyrics “I gave you everything, my blood, sweat, hope and tears”. The song becomes filled with more of those, impactful metallic riffs, before pulling right back to close beautifully softly - a final caress. It’s another brilliant exploration of uncovered feelings, and an ultimately positive end to an intriguing story.
This really is an extremely satisfying album. It’s one I’m playing over and over not because it’s missing anything, but because I want to get deeper under the skin of this band, a band which is offering a fantastic sense of redemption as we continue to get to grips with what the year has to offer.
Thank you SPRINTS for getting 2024 off to such a great start.SPRINTS are Karla Chubb (vocals, guitar), Colm O’Reilly (guitar), Jack Callan (drums) and Sam McCann (bass). You can find them on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
The band are touring in Europe in February, the US in March, and the UK in April, before playing two homecoming shows in Dublin in May. There’s more info on their website.