Fireworks -‘Switch Me On.’ (Shelflife Records)
The debut album from London’s Fireworks is as sparkly and incendiary as their namesake. The London four-piece are firmly at the pop where c86 indie-pop meets the more aggressive side of shoegazing, and several listens in show this to be a really rather fine debut album.
Right from the opening ‘With My Heart’ this is glorious noisy pop to jump around to, to find yourself in as much as lose yourself. And repeated plays make this a somewhat addictive listen. Added to the fuzzy glow are the glorious vocals of both Matthew Rimell and Emma Hall. Amongst the highlights here are ‘Runaround”Tightrope’ and ‘Corner Of My Mind’, the latter sounding like it has been blessed by none other than J Mascis himself.
Sure, some people might complain that it’s blatantly obvious what records they’ve got in their bedrooms. This is to miss the point entirely. Even without having seen them live, the rhythm section sound cool as anything (if drummer Sean Charman doesn’t play standing up like Mo Tucker or Bobby Gillespie I’d be surprised), and this adds up to one very addictive whole. Talent borrows, but genius steals. Turn it up, and dance like no-one’s watching.
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Switch Me On is out now on Shelflife Records.