Album Review: The Speedways - "Talk Of The Town"

When you consider that the Speedways were originally set up a few years ago by frontman Matt Julian as a one-off project with the aim of doing one album and one gig, they've not had a bad run really. Now on their third album, the group have established themselves as one of the most promising power-pop bands to emerge on the London scene in recent years as well as gathering a healthy following over in Spain.

Talk Of The Town sees the Speedways doing exactly what they do so well, namely irresistable hooks and singalong choruses in the best Jags/Romantics style. The opening duo of Dead From The Heart Down and Secret Secrets (one of the album's highlights) set their stall out in fine style before the two tracks from the album's lead off single, the uptempo Shoulda Known and the gentle balladry of A Drop In The Ocean keep the momentum going nicely.

For the most part, this is what you'd expect from the Speedways although as the laid back Strange Love proves, they're on good form here. However, there's a few attempts to move outside the box as well which is to be applauded - Weekend 105 starts off with all moody atmospherics before crashing into a slice of almost Devo-style post-punk before building up to that traditional big chorus to excellent effect and the title track is all Costello-style spindly paranoia. A Song Called Jayne & A Lie Called Love blends the two sides together with its insistent My Sharona style chorus and guitar heroics from Mauro Venegas being underpinned by a weird electro squiggle which shows the band moving their sound forward without sacrificing what made them good to begin with. The spoken word bits of Monday Was The Start Of The Stars are a nice touch as well, one part Don't Never Leave Me era Hanoi Rocks and one part Don't Stand Me Down era Dexy's.

Talk Of The Town might just be the Speedways' best and most self-assured album to date. A good reiteration of everything that made them a standout prospect to begin with while adding a few new tricks to the pot to keep things fresh. A highly recommended album not just for power-pop aficionados but for anyone who needs some good melodic sunshine for these cold December days.

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NITE SONGS RATING: 🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌔🌑🌑 (8/10)

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