Talking of boyracer – the attached guide note makes mention of over two decades of indie cool totalling (what?) over 800 release appearances and all this whilst taking a sabbatical which they are now returned and re-energised from. The ‘pete shelley’ EP features four grizzled power pop nuggets dragged from their lo-fi basement. Lead out track ‘Pete Shelley’ brief and blistered comes awkwardly frazzled out of the traps like some beaten around edges slab of skewed bubble groove taking to its heart a wannabe Monkees vibe lovingly roughed up and rippling in the anti-pop skin of an Albini overseen Wedding Present. As you’d rightly expect from a track titled ‘2nd wave mod’ the ‘Racers go rummaging around 60’s compilations and don their finest Carnaby St threads for some nifty beat grooved swagger and swoon, the aloofness and edginess of the Who burns its trademark footprint across the grooves though scratch a little deeper and the subtle investment of ears pinned listening to the Action reaps its reward. Ripped in oodles of spikiness and hatefulness ‘the kind of man you are’ is your short and bitter slap to the head comeuppance drilled through at a manic pace which ought to have admirers of the pooh sticks and the violent femmes cooing from the side lines and leaves ‘jump’ to round up matters, alas not the Van Halen version but instead an addictively infectious daft and carefree jab of sunny sided effervescent lo-fi loveliness which had I not known would have hazarded a guess was by those lovable souls Helen Love – kind of makes it a required purchase.
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