Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

The third album from Puller continues the journey of their last release 'Closer Than You Think', with a leaning towards more radio friendly sounds without totally compromising on the edgy layers of guitar. The riffs and rhythms are still there but this is definitely a leap towards more mainstream acceptance and why not? The departure of Miles, Puller's guitarist and the mysterious Manic Street Preachers-style disappearance of bassist Dustin Holt has forced some changes on the band as drummer Geoff Riley and creative driving force Mike Lewis return to the studio to create this album. Simpler than previous releases and more melodic, Puller have recovered from the stresses of the changing personnel with what sounds like cathartic sessions of recording for this album. Standouts for me are "Give Me A Ride", with its complicated rhythms meeting some driving rhythmic guitar, and the denser "These Days", with its understated acoustic guitar pushing everything forward, and of course "Man On The Move", with its energetic chorus bursting through the wall of guitars. The result is an honest, fresh, straight ahead sound and it remains to be seen whether they will hold old fans and win new ones.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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