Spiral Beach - The Only Really Thing

By: Adam Bunch

Spiral Beach
The Only Really Thing

(Sparks)

SOUNDS LIKE: Upbeat, danceable, minor key indie pop with plenty of reverb and hooks.

WHY/WHY NOT: It's hard to believe that a band who still can't make it through a single review without someone mentioning how young they are (see? I just did) could already be on their third full-length record, and yet here we are. The Only Really Thing picks up where Ball left off, with the Toronto-based quartet delivering upbeat, danceable, minor key indie pop with plenty of reverb and hooks.

And while the record does sound an awful lot like the last one, that's not necessarily a bad thing. Besides, the band is clearly still moving forward. Maddy Wilde takes over more and more of the vocal duties, pushing the band over the line into clear "female-fronted" territory for the first time. Meanwhile, tracks like "Raising The Snake" (which hints that Spiral Beach might want to try their hands at a Bond theme some day) and "Cemetery" (which sounds like something that could be played over the speakers at your local roller disco) demonstrate a bit more range than their past efforts.

It's more than enough to have you bopping your head, singing along and, most importantly, catching them on tour, which is where Spiral Beach really shine.