The Spitting Pips have something maniacally decadent about their “Vicious Circles”–a song that does not merely recount disorder, but literally flings you down into its intense, swirling core. The Llandudno quintet have created something truly visceral, the type of rock that makes you feel a bit dizzy and uncertain of what exactly has happened.
The opening screeches of the wah pedal guitar cut like a siren at closing time and the rhythm section pounded away with the inexorable energy of a night that will not end. The vocals of Zachariah Storm have just the right degree of snarl and grit, which conveys their message of the absolute cycle of parties with the seriousness of a person who has gone through it. The Orange Sound Studios, where Catfish and the Bottlemen were getting their feet wet make all of this bare and immediate and any temptation to polish the edges out is hard to fight.
One of the most interesting parts about this is the reflection of the lyrical theme by the instrumentation. The guitars are swirling and screeching, the drums keep their jarring groove tight and unforgiving and the bass is throbbing below like a headache one had after one too many drinks. It is anarchy with a touch of control, indeed–the band is evidently heavily inspired by such names as Brian Jonestown Massacre and Arctic Monkeys and is creating its own space.
Vicious Circles is not a pretender to be anything but what it is unapologetic, working-class rock and roll out of North Wales. No smoke and mirrors, just a loud cranking of the amplifiers and a band that mean it. It is the noise of escapism and entrapment combined in a wonderful, messy bundle and it is well deserved.
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