Ok, let’s think about this: ‘Lights’ was recorded in 2004; released on CD in 2006; released on vinyl in 2009 and sent to Collective in 2011. That means it’s traveled roughly 128 miles a year to get to us and, in that time, rather than sounding like it’s missed the spazzy screamo boat could conceivably be seen as a breath of fresh air since (a) most bands doing this stuff nowadays are a lot shitter and (b) all the people – Andy Maddox aside – who’d have played this stuff seven years ago are now faddling around with other genres entirely. It’s a long shot and all a tad unlikely, but at least worth some consideration.
In any event, this is some tense, taut, jangly stuff from a bunch of Swedes who owe their eyeteeth to mid-90s San Diego and large chunks of the 31G back catalogue, ‘Lights’ a hyperkinetic mish-mash of tumbledown Swing Kidisms, Jehu-ish angles and Blood Brothers guitar frottage. True to form things’re pitched somewhere between jarring and danceable, each eyeball-stabbing discord or desperate shriek provided padding by a clear, ringing chord or well-rounded bass run so’s to keep you on your toes and make sure ‘Lights’ never becomes too disagreeable, especially if you still harbour a soft spot for white belts, Spockish locks and jeans you’ll never fit into again.