Rating: 
Belfast’s Sea Pinks have become a staple in my listening catalogue over the past few years; its strange to think that a band who has only been around for six years has already been so profoundly prolific, but it seems that releasing a solid LP almost every year is just the way Sea Pinks roll. Soft Days is the latest of these stunning releases, and while more subdued and grounded jangly rock, the band finds yet another way to hook you and keep you interested.
This tightening up can be felt from the albums initiation. Opening number, (I Dont Feel Like) Giving In, begins slowly and with a bit of drama: some small guitar and soft building drums light up the path for a good minute of the track before the band launches in with those cutting guitar riffs and the vocals of Neil Brogan. The guitars are bleached out surf jangle to a T, interchanging with a bit of distortion on the chorus for a perfect pop arch. Immediately, youll notice the shift in focus from those orchestral elements that the band employed in the past, to the dueling guitars and their ceaseless jangle. At the end of the first number, you get the feeling that whats to come will be great.
And this intuition isnt wrong; Sea Pinks trade off track after track of spunky jangle pop with more subdued tunes, but its all beachy and lovely. Of course you have stunning singles that fulfill your rock and roll needs like Depth of Field and Yr Horoscope. The former employs the luke-warm vocals of Brogan and pushes them to a new height on the chorus, and the latter reminds me a bit of The Vaccines with its quick lipped lyrics and staccato drums. These bright flamed singles are balanced nicely with slower burning tracks like Green With Envy and I Wont Let Go, on which the guitar riffs meander more than shred, reminding you of beachy sunsets with a cool sea breeze coming off the water.
Soft Days is an album that you wont tire of easily. You will reach its end and feel ready to jump right back to the beginningit has the proper amount of catchy singles and deeper cuts to keep you interested. I will be spinning this one through the seasons for sure.
If ever Sea Pinks were going to fashion themselves as post-punk(ers), then perhaps this new single is precisely the tune that would draw that line in the sand. It opens with this bobbing bass line that functions underneath a dancing guitar line, jumping in and out of the mix. Momentarily, we hit a chorus where euphoric pop moments explode through the speakers, just before the waves recede to, once again, reveal the post-punk vibel the song moves back and forth between those two movements, always on point. The group will release their 7th official LP, Rockpool Blue, on Septmber 28th via their label, CF Records.
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