Photo by Tara Thomas
It seems that something is brewing in Dublin. Because the Irish capital is on fine form at the moment when it comes to churning out excellent guitar bands. GIRL BAND blew people’s minds at SXSW and signed to legendary UK label Rough Trade, JET SETTER won fans for their scrappy indie anthems, and finally there’s SPIES, who seem set to be the next band from the city to explode in a big, big way.
That brings us quite nicely to the matter at hand, their latest release, Sea Creature. SPIES hark back to bands like ECHO AND THE BUNNYMEN in their combination of sweeping, swirling guitars and intense, mannered vocals. Sea Creature starts off relatively calmly, with singer Michael Broderick wrapping his words around a grooving guitar riff, before the feedback and squall increases as the track progresses, leading to an intense, emotive conclusion. Sea Creature is worthy contender, a solid entry into the tradition of widescreen, dramatic indie. The song is the title track of their latest EP, out now on the band’s own label Trout Records.
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