Album Review: Spycatcher - Honesty
Made up of members from Gallows, Haunts, Cry For Silence and The New 1920, Watford's Spycatcher have slowly been gathering the momentum over the last 12 months, with shows supporting The Get Up Kids, Funeral For A Friend, and We Are The Ocean. That momentum will now more than likely go into overdrive, with their debut full-length, 'Honesty', a record that takes the pop sensibilities of The Get Up Kids, the rough punk rock of The Gaslight Anthem and add a subtle-yet-edgy British rock feel to it all. Opening with 'Tabs', a warm organ-led number that serves its purpose well and eases you in before 'I Don't Like People' brings the album alive with its strong, anti-social chorus filled with thriving punk rock energy.
One of the stand out tracks, and recent single, 'Remember Where You Were When Michael Jackson Died' shows the bands ability to write catchy songs with a balanced dose of driving guitars, and pounding drums. Whilst the title track ('Honesty') tells of unwanted step dads with vocalist Steve Sears showcasing plenty of attitude, and the key line of "You’re just a no good fucking disgrace" is bound to make the track a live highlight in future.
Elsewhere the atmospheric, Deftones-esque, 'Reason To Breathe In' adds variation to the record, with its slow burning tempo and 'There Is No Light' and 'Nobody Listens' are steady paced accessible rock numbers, that adds to the overall flow of the record. The aforementioned Get Up Kids comparison can be heard on 'Good Times' and 'Livewire', as the bands guitar tone and vocal delivery is reminiscent of their earlier work
On the whole, 'Honesty' proves to be one of the strongest UK releases so far this year, as it comes off as being a consistent and well-balanced
collection of punk rock-influenced indie rock that has enough depth and substance; both musically and lyrically, to keep you interested throughout.
4/5
'Honesty' by Spycatcher is available now on Atticus.
Spycatcher on Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Tumblr, and Big Cartel.
Words by Sean Reid
