A strong return to form from Norwich’s DIY punks!
Having formed way back in 1991, thirty-five years later, Norwich’s Southpaw are back with their seventh album, ‘Longitude’. Spawned from a love of bands such as Dag Nasty, Leatherface, All, Samiam, Face to Face and Jawbreaker, the band’s DIY punk ethics – rather than chasing financial success – have stood them in good stead creatively.
For this album, the Southpaw core of Paul Whatrup (vocals), Dylan Powles (drums), Simon Leggett (bass) and Peter Fellows (guitar) has been joined by second guitarist Chris Davis to provide a burst of new energy. Recorded at Meantime Studios by Peter Fellowes, the album features a visually stunning hand-drawn cover from Simon that contains loads of references relating to the band’s history and longevity. Apparently, there is “a devious puzzle contained within the artwork that, if deciphered correctly, will lead to a hidden treasure of band booty..!”
Opening track ‘Subjects’ sets the scene with its taut but melodic guitar riffs, rumbling bass and an impassioned vocal from Paul about false democracy. It’s a strong start to the album, and this quality does not dissipate throughout the rest of the album. ‘Rare’ features driving guitars and more than enough earworm hooks that you’ll be humming them on your travels.
It’s early nineties indie punk rock for ‘Not Talking’ which features ones of the album’s most memorable choruses with its shuttering vocal. The intro to ‘Maybe’ sounds huge, before settling into something of an emo anthem with its emotionally charged chorus. The longest track on the album is ‘Legacy’, clocking in at five minutes, but it’s the one I find myself singing along to the most. It has a slower paced vocal but the interplay between chugging rhythm guitar and scalpel-like lead builds up to an epic conclusion.
‘Signs’, starts out as a far gentler song, reflecting the introspective nature of its lyrics, but soon turns into something more powerful as the emotion builds up, whilst maintaining a pleasing melody right down to the subtle keys in the closing third. The pace is seriously upped with ‘Status’ – scissor like riffs mixed with elements of bar room boogie accompanying Paul’s urgent vocal. ‘Hawks’ and ‘Dissonance Rocks’ are both back in reliable indie rock territory, although on the latter, Paul’s vocal has the occasional Feargal Sharkey-like quiver which adds a pleasing touch.
Next up, ‘Lost and Found’ has some of the heaviest riffs on the album, especially in its middle section as the band get to exercise their metal chops. ‘The Crux’ follows in a similar vein with the riffs and hooks becoming more substantial as the song progresses, but Paul’s vocals remain as fervent as always. Final song ‘Fodder’ is a suitably robust end to the album summarising all that has come before it – this is surely destined to be a crowd favourite on the live circuit.
In their own words “Sharper and more direct, the new songs mark a small but significant gearshift yet still maintain the signature melodies and angular guitar driven hooks that you would expect from Southpaw of old.”
I’m not going to disagree with any of their sentiments. This is a cracking album that’s accompanied me on my travel to work for several weeks, making the start of each day far more enjoyable.
‘Longitude’ is out now – buy it HERE
- Subjects
- Rare
- Not Talking
- Maybe
- Legacy
- Signs
- Status
- Hawks
- Dissonance Rocks
- Lost and Found
- The Crux
- Fodder
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