Reviewed by Tom Lennie

As CR regulars will already know, the PAIS Project is a schools outreach ministry based in central/north England. They operate several pop rock bands - in Preston, Manchester and Sheffield - each with the name Flipside. Team members sign up for one year and this is the current Sheffield line-up, an enthusiastic four-piece fronted by Sarah Bailey. Her versatile and fairly competent lead vocals are the central attraction on all six tracks of this mini-album (though there's some darn good guitar and drum playing too), and she sounds ever so slightly akin to Phatfish's Louise Fellingham, though perhaps with less clarity. The songs are melodic, vivacious and diverse and the lyrics are free from the usual clichés (it's a pity, though, that they're not printed in the sleevenotes - nor, unfortunately, is much other information about the band or their vision). My own favourites are the quirky "Not Be Moved" and the gently flowing "When The Rain Starts To Fall" with its infectious impact. This is a well performed effort from a little known team. I'm impressed.

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.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.