Thanks to certain shit-talkers who shall remain nameless, I thought The Riverclub disliked me and TRC thought I disliked them. It’s a strange world, but after spending some time in their company they’re lovely boys and there’s no beef at all. Which is lovely because this EP is a lot of fun. It doesn’t break new ground, but I think they’d be the first to admit that. But what ‘Long Before I Reach The Phone’ does is make you smile – there’s more fun here than a day on Cleethorpes beach. Three-fifths of this CD is marvellous, one-fifth is good, while the remaining section is merely passable – still, I’ve had this on repeat all day and I’m still humming along.
Strangely the band kick off with the EP’s weakest track – live The Riverclub open with ‘My Girl, God, She Is Beautiful’, which would be a far better way to start here. For me, ‘We’re On Empty Again’ just never gets going. It’s not so much stuck in a rut as a bit, well, it flatters to deceive. But this is the lowets moment and things pick up – and fast. ‘Call If You Want To’ has a huge hook, while the aforementioned ‘My Girl…’ is bouncier than jelly on a space hopper. It’s seriously a fun track and arguably their best.
‘The Sunshine Coast’, ably supported with a thick and catchy Jason Perry (of A fame) production, is more of the same, while the disc finishes in fine fashion with ‘Escape From Keyboard City‘, which has another huge hook. The Riverclub aren’t a groundbreaking band. they’re not a group that will break boundaries and re-write the genre rulebook. But they are a band that play with a huge smile on their face and with songs as catchy as these, they’re bound to win over legions of new fans. TRC are as fun as anyone around right now and will be perfect summer listening…
www.myspace.com/teamtrc
Bravestar
Paul