Start Raising The White Flag
South Wales is fast becoming the hotbed of musical discoveries. It seems no band is worth their diva demanding riders anymore unless they hail from the Valleys and right on cue there is a new beacon of talent on the horizon. Formed just over a year ago out of the ruins of various other Welsh based bands, Attack! Attack! are here to show that their fellow Welshmen that have already bombarded the radio waves are not one offs, there’s more music in those Valley’s than in your local HMV and what’s more, Attack! Attack! live up to the high expectations we have come to expect, even take for granted from the Valley Boyos.
Littered with so many hook filled melodies that you literally trip over every beat, crashing into one catchy chorus after another, Attack! Attack!’s debut self titled album is an avalanche of infectious pop-rock that refuses to depart until every single foot is tapping merrily along. As the first intriguingly sinister line of opener ‘Honesty’ seeps through, Attack! Attack! immediately lay down the battle lines, offloading a track that bristles with a rock ethos neatly tied to a pop based melody. But the Welsh quartet don’t believe in pausing to give you chance to catch your breath as the jerky, fist punching catchiness of ‘You And Me’ confidently stomps and pounds, before the crunchy raw guitar riff of ‘Time Is Up’ muscles in on proceedings, complete with the allure of a fist full of mouth-watering shout along chants nestling amongst it, all creating a bruising chunk of rock. And still the four piece aren’t done. ‘Too Bad Son’ staples a gigantic melody to chugging riffs whilst ‘Home Again’ hits the ground running, sprinting past in a blaze of unapologetically catchy magnificence, something Attack! Attack! apparently have in abundance and which makes them an undeniably exciting new band.
It’s hard not to compare Attack! Attack! to their countrymen. With their album being produced by Lostprophets’ bassist, Stuart Richardson, it is impossible not to notice the odd touch of Lostprophets inching its way into tracks whilst the dance infused melodies that jump energetically around are similar to those of Kids In Glass Houses. But Attack! Attack! are doing more than mimicking. With touches of Fall Out Boy splattered here and there, this is an album of unashamedly contagious pop-rock that oozes adrenaline charged rawness from every pore whilst clutching imploringly to an addictively buzzing double sided attack of pandemic sized melodies dripping in stubbornly attractive hooks. A deathly compo that will take no prisoners. Attack! Attack! do what their name suggests and unless you are prepared to be annihilated, now may be the time to start raising the white flag.