Label: Nice Swan Records
Released: 26th March 2021
This is exciting. Dublin four-piece Sprints continue their burst out of the starter blocks (wahey – puns ed) with their debut EP, ’Manifesto’. Produced by Girl Band’s Daniel Fox, it is a thrilling ride that more than lives up to the band’s name and threatens to rip up the new punk landscape once again.
The more the opening track ‘Drones’ builds and builds in rage and self-doubt, the more it is inescapable. Packed full of interesting textures, the Girl Band influence is strong with clangs and yes, drones dropped in throughout but that is to take nothing away from Sprints themselves. “You’re getting better and I’m getting bitter” spits Karla Chubb from the depths of imposter syndrome. Pumped up and bristling with rage at a world where pleasure pursuits are prioritised for funding over critical social issues, ‘Swimming’ flirts with IDLES’ thunderstorm style before soaring off in a different direction while the previously unheard ‘Ashley’ roars along an untethered Marmozets. It’s a thrilling, exciting glimpse into the future.
Every time it feels like saturation point has been reached within the scene, someone new comes along to tear all that up. Sure, we’ve heard three-quarters of this EP already but when you slot it together like this, Sprints feel like they could very well be the next band that reshapes the landscape. If this is their manifesto, sign us up.
