Having established themselves through some particularly raucous live shows and ahead of a huge UK tour in support of Militarie Gun, Spiritual Cramp are on the cusp of releasing their rowdy self-titled album.
Hailing from San Francisco, Spiritual Cramp’s debut work is embellished with a very distinctive Californian surfer-punk sound, bringing with it a very unique combination of slick instrumentals and lyrical snarl.
Opening track ‘Blowback‘ bursts into life with a high-flying riff and a catchy chorus, but the jovial nature of the music isn’t undone by the seriousness of the lyrics, which discusses the severity of the policing issue present throughout America. Elsewhere, the track ‘Talkin’ On The Internet’ is something of an earworm, especially since the lyrics are likely to resonate with those who spend just a little too much time behind a screen each day.
Throughout the album, lead singer Michael Bingham‘s vocals remain crisp, clear, but with an eccentric edge that helps to separate them from the rest. It might isolate some listeners, but for the most part it proves to be reminiscent of late 20th century punk without sounding overly dated.
The melodic ‘Clashing At The Party’ is 2 minutes 37 seconds of pure danceable punk rock while ‘Can I Borrow Your Lighter’ features some well placed gang vocals to inject plenty of energy into the track. Closing track ‘Addict’ is yet another example of Spiritual Cramp’s ability to produce catchy tunes with that signature fuzzy noise.
Overall, Spiritual Cramp’s debut is going to be one to listen to for anyone in the market for some high-energy, spirited punk rock, and there’s no doubt that they’ll only get better from here.
