Spearmint - News From Nowhere

by Dixie Ernill

published: 29 / 5 / 2014

Label: Hitback Records
Format: CD

Solid first album in eight years from undervalued London indie pop outfit, Spearmint

Review

Considering the band hadn’t released a new LP for eight years, the title is quite apt. It’s great to have them back though. Whilst the excellent 'Paris in a Bottle' was indeed their last album, the band did re-release 'A Week Away' with some extra tracks in 2009 and front man Shirley Lee has released a couple of solo albums, but things have been pretty quiet over the last three years until now... All the traditional Spearmint elements are present and correct on 'News From Nowhere' – the heavy nod to Northern Soul that makes the music such a treat, the spoken narratives ('Children of theSixties, Children of the Seventies'), the classic pop ('Tony Wright' and 'My Anger') as well as the social/political comments (vegetarianism on 'Light That Shines from a Dead Star' and animal cruelty on 'The Dolphins'). Whilst maybe not as strong as some of their earlier albums, it is still a solid piece of work that most up and coming indie chancers would garner significant praise for. Spearmint just have such high standards! With a number of high profile gigs coming up in New York, Ripley, Berlin and Nottingham, don’t miss out on the opportunity to see a band that amazingly is already nineteen years old. It doesn’t seem that long ago I was buying 'Songs for the Colour Yellow'!

Track Listing:-

1 It's Not As To Fall
2 The Gleaners
3 Light That Shines From Dead Star
4 Tony Wright
5 Children of the Sixties, Children of t
6 Not Small, Just Far Away
7 My Anger
8 Punctuation
9 The Dolphins
10 News From Nowhere
11 I Will Sleep Tonite