Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

It's been a while since the band released their seven-track debut, 'Presence', so this new EP is most welcome! The band have been going through changes and the addition of sax makes the biggest difference. This new sound is fab. There's almost a bit of a retro thing going on with a touch of Madness here and there and my favourite track "Up The Left" settles down into something that reminded me of Ian Dury! No bad thing! 'Feel The Pain' has a ska flavour to it as it leaps along, propelled by Marty Timlin's bass and Phil McEvoy's tight drumming, punctuated here and there with some catchy sax. Being an Irish band, the message is timely with a challenge to the craziness of prejudice and an encouragement to reconcile by recognising and feeling the pain of the past but then letting it go. About as powerful a message as it's possible to fit into a pop tune! The great thing about the EP is that Timlin's songwriting has matured so that he's now penning songs with plenty of hooky, memorable moments. A good example is "What A Difference" with its quirky arrangement and totally singable chorus! "Up The Left" is yet another catchy tune and contains a coda where Marty exhorts the listener to let Jesus sort them out. Nothing like nailing your colours to the mast eh? The EP closes with the groovy "Keep On Keeping On" with some excellent guitar work and more catchy melodies. To be fair, the EP does suffer a little because of the swift production but the financial constraints don't spoil the creativity and content of the songs. There is talk of Snorkel recording a full album soon. I can't wait.

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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