THE SPITS
self-titled (Slovenly)
Reviewed by Alan Wright

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Hmmmmm, these guys are pretty hard to pin down. Certainly influenced by '80s new wave music what with the old analogue synth sounds washing over everything, but like the Epoxies, the Spits amp it up with faster tempos and hard-edged punk guitar playing. The influence of Devo is also undeniable, especially one of the vocalists who has that Mark Mothersbaugh style down pat. Also, like Devo, they wear funny costumes when they play, though not identical funny costumes. They consciously borrow from old punk bands, too, as in the case of "PCT," which is basically the same as Alternative TV's "Action Time Vision." A sense of humor prevails, though, especially on "Let Us Play Your Party" which starts off with a hilarious exchange (faked, I'm sure) between some guy calling them up and asking them to play his party. Actually, all their lyrics are pretty funny, and now that I think about it, they also kind of remind me a bit of the little-known Vancouver band Ujerks! I could definitely see these guys covering "The Locator" or "Ujerks Work For Police."

[Pick this up at www.slovenly.com.]

© 2003 - Alan Wright