Album Reviews

Armed with new energy, a new bassist and a new deal with Jade Tree, Spraynard are back! And how! You could already get a taste of things to come thanks to the Bench 7”, but holy shit… their new album is friggin’ awesome!

Named after the golden retriever that was a mainstay in the band members’ lives for 13 years, “Mable” starts off with the lines ‘I am every person you have ever ignored / I am the flaming bag of dog shit on your porch’. It’s the kind of rallying cry that makes you want to be all the way up front at one of their shows with your fist in the air while shouting along with every single word. At this point we are 6 seconds into the first song and you know there is nothing these guys can do wrong.

And they don’t! Every single song on here comes with nicely rumbling bass lines, relentless pounding on the drums, distorted open chords and hooks so catchy they could serve as Field & Stream centerfolds. Musically things are as tight as ever, but the biggest overall difference is that the lyrics dig a little deeper this time around. I’m sure these guys still enjoy the occasional dick joke, but you could just as well have a conversation with them about feminism and anti-homophobia.

In short, pick up a copy of “Mable” now or miss out on one of the albums of the year.