Spun Rivals: "Spun Rivals EP"

TRACK LIST:
1. 1998
2. We Fixed Headaches With Chemicals
3. Money Song
4. Ordinary

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NOTES:
Spun Rivals debut EP is out now, and available from JB Hi Fi and iTunes.

REVIEWS:

World class electro punk from a Melbourne-based three piece which is fronted by spitting Scotsman Rich Davies Jnr. Nineteen Nighty Eight rattles with agro dance fever, a blistering refrain breaking down in creepy xylophone notes and a post-rock guitar squall.
- Single Reviews, Beat

When Scottish singer/guitarist Rich Davies Jr joined Clayton Pegus (bass, programming) and Matt Ryan (drums) in Melbourne, they transformed from an electro group into a dynamic rock trio channelling elements of post-punk, grunge, Brit-pop and prog-rock. Whilst enleashing high-energy performances alongside Cut Off Your Hands, Little Red, Blueline Medic and Tic Toc Tokyo, the band spent 2007 recording their self-titled debut EP, which was produced and mixed by Finn Kean (Wilco, Oasis, Franz-Ferdinand) and Matthew Storey (The Papernecks). Nineteen Ninety Eight is a shearing opener full of angular guitar hooks and frantic walls of feedback. With its feverish drums and lively, staccato guitar rhythms, the song is an excercise in explosive post-punk glory. We Fixed Headaches With Chemicals opens on a softly introspective note before unleashing into a riveting, fast-paced guitar duel. Invoking a Bloc Party styled indie zest, the song's intensity continues to rise before swerving into obscure, experimental territory. The trio, however, incorporates multiple shifts in tone and pace while stills sounding incredibly tight. The band takes a step back with the simple acoustic lament Money Song, which sees Davies pondering "we're too busy making money to see all the life we've thrown away", but lacking some lyrical finesse. The four-track EP closes with An Ordinary Man - a guaranteed live favourite with its various stylistic changes, which range from fock-rock to grunge and then to prog-rock, all accompanied by backing vocals from Melbourne's Little Red. With their frenetic and stimulating debut EP, the Spun Rivals have proven that they're inspired enough to deliver something that's an exciting deviation from the hipster handbook.
- Christine Lan, Beat

Thank you, Spun Rivals, for reinstating the use of the word "angular" in press releases; I thought I'd never see it again! On that tip, I'm not sure "angular" is the correct rock crit term in this instance, but Spun Rivals do a bang up jon of the sort of genre-nonspecific rock that radio should be all over.
- Clem Bastow, Inpress

Although much-maligned by some for not living up to their prog-rock label, ou can�t deny that Melbourne�s Spun Rivals give it their all. The energy of �Nineteen Ninety Eight�, which possesses the band�s most potent hook, is immediately noticeable. But aside from Spun Rivals� default sound, the acoustic, glockenspieled �Money Song� is an absolute stunner. Rich Davies� vocals are undeniably Elvis Costello-ish, and the band deprts into a realm of Brit-pop to wonderful effect. The cherry on a rather tasty cake is the manic �An Ordinary Man�; possibly the standout track, its discord, rhythm changes and chaotic crescendo all add to the potency and underlying feelings of frustration. If there�s a flaw here, it�s that perhaps the uber-produced sound doesn�t do the band justice: get �em drunk, chuck them an 8-track and I think you�ll get more of an idea of how Spun Rivals roll.
- www.wirelessbollinger.com

This 4-song package by Melbourne outfit Spun Rivals is a nifty display of hooks, jaggered riffing and displays a promising future for this style of song writing. It�s not punk, nor rock, nor pop�but a little of each. Post-punk indie new-wave is what the press release says, and as broad as that sounds, it kind of feels appropriate.� Scottish singer/guitarist Rich Davies Jr. has a whiny way with vocals, but mixed with some devilishly distorted bass lines and hammering drums, it works as kind of contrasting colour in a rainbow. Nineteen Ninety Eight is clearly the single-track here, even though it doesn�t really follow the formula of your average radio single. There�s a good chorus and bouncy verses, but half way through, it ventures into weirder territory and doesn�t really come back�which is really effective, as it makes you want to listen again. And perhaps more importantly, gets you thinking, why is he so sorry about 1998? What happened? I�m sure the answer is in the lyrics, but as with all things catchy, I only remember the grunt of the chorus: �I�m so sorry about 1998!� My favourite track out of the four is We Fixed Headaches with Chemicals, which delves into prog-rock territory and is the most unusual arrangement on this EP. It�s a hard edge industrial flavoured assortment of riffs and electronica without much vocal. It rolls along like a car crash�one that is really damn interesting to watch from a distance. Money Song is a nice acoustic melody about how much time is wasted trying to make money and not enjoying the finer things like living and getting drunk. You sometimes feel that it could have gotten angrier, though the dichotomy of lyrical content with sweet acoustic guitar chords is a neat little trick. An Ordinary Man sees fellow Melbournites �Little Red� helping out with vocals, and is perhaps the other contender for radio play. It�s a little more traditional than the first track, and is�in this reviewer�s opinion�precisely the reason why it isn�t as appealing. But that said, it rounds off the EP nicely and ultimately begs another listen, which is all an EP can hope to do.
- Daniel Vigilante, Buzz Magazine

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