Review: Tell Me If You Like To by Spring King

Spring King burst into the scene swinging – an obscure band getting the honor of being the first act played on Apple’s curious push towards live radio, Beats 1. Almost a year later they have released a full-length album, and Tell Me If You Like To is a punchy, if not revolutionary, set of riffs and hooks. They may have had a high-profile coming-out party to most of the world but their songs still remind me of cramped stages in grimy bars. (Disclaimer: this is just a mental image, not a place I have actually been to.) It’s catchy, sure, but there’s a visceral, raw, sticky vibe coming out. You know, like the debut efforts of those bands now selling out entire arenas. The Arctic Monkeys, for one. I know the music press has, for now, given up on proclaiming guitar music as the next best thing – the cycle has not quite come fully through – but Spring King reminds us that there’s still hope, or some semblance of it. [NB] | 4/5