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:: Track list & details
Behind the high school marching band uniform adorning the cover of the In The Red debut from Submarine Races lurks one willfully weird album. The menacing "Theme" opens the disc (which allegedly features Soviet submarine sonar technology, no less), offering a murky take on surf music from underneath the waves, and sets listeners up for a succession of sinister soundscapes. But five and a half minutes later, the ship steers toward choppier waters with a couple of numbers juggling post-punk, power pop, and garage rock influences (one of these, "Get Yourself Together," boasts the disc's most insinuating guitar line) before a more consistent sound finally breaks the surface.
Submarine Races is at its core a contemporary take on England's C-86 indie sound. Songs like "Pilgrim Shoes," "Watch What You Say," and "Postcard" feature Rickenbacker shimmer and plaintive vocals straight off of a Mighty Lemon Drops or Pastels record of twenty years ago, with a couple of songs, like the '60s-redolent "Ghosts And Worms" adding an eccentric dread to the mix that fans of The Soft Boys might recognize. So if vintage Cure, Primal Scream, or Echo & The Bunnymen float your boat, give a listen to Submarine Races.
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