When you consider some of the bands these guys had been in before Crazy Arm, there’s no wonder this record is a good ‘un. Spending the best part of a year to 18 months honing their talent on the toilet circuit before being snapped up by Xtra Mile, while the band are sonically totally different to the likes of King Blues and Frank Turner, they do at least share the same work ethic and honesty. It’s punk rock in meaning, too.
It’s difficult to pin down exactly where the band are coming from. There’s a certain alt-country feel to the vocals, but then there’s the energy of bands like Hot Water Music too. I guess the lazy person (ie me) would maybe suggest they sound a little like Against Me! too. It results in an interesting and exciting album and it’s easy to see why so many of the more mainstream music outlets, including Radio 1, have started to pick up on them. I know Ben, who wrote a glowing review of their first demo for this very site, has also taken his love for the band and ejaculated it all over the pages of the NME.
So why does this only get a 7 from me? Well it’s not really my thing. And while it’s bloody obvious this band have something to say and take great pleasure in saying it, I just know this isn’t something I’ll be re-visiting much in the future. Hey, it’s a good album – and some will undoubtedly go further and say it’s a great album – but it’s just not to my tastes. Sometimes as a reviewer you can totally tell how great an album is but not go back to it. I think that will happen here.