The Rifles – ‘None The Wiser’ (Out 20.1.2014)
‘None The Wiser’ is the fourth studio album of The Rifles, and is due for release on the 20th of January 2014. The four piece band convey a modest indie pop, merged with their signature mod sound and a healthy dosage of rock n roll. They claim to draw influence from Talking Heads, The Clash and The Beatles, which seems like a God damn good combination to me. The Rifles have a strong and steady fan base which is ever increasing, alongside respectable positions in the charts.
Running throughout ‘None The Wiser’, and indeed all of The Rifles music, is a summer nostalgia that strikes up images of laborious working hours, long drunken nights at the local and football both home and away. ‘Minute Mile’ is a effortlessly catchy track, with a simple repeating riff and a rather typical collection of indie pop lyrics. ‘Heebie Geebies’ is a clean indie track that showcases great rhythm and timing of vocals, with a nice little solo midway. It is easily one of the best tracks, and being not so far into the album, the listeners attention is clinched from the word go. ‘Go Lucky’ is another superb track, which clearly draws on the bands likeness for The Jam. It is a timeless track; a sound which has been heard time and time again, a sound that will never become old to the avid listeners of the indie genre. It is hopelessly optimistic, a recurrent theme for The Rifles. ‘You Win Some’ follows a similar pattern of thought. The Beatles influence is evident on this track, what with the multiple vocals and the psychedelic aura so often associated with The Beatles in their later days. ‘Catch Her In The Rye’, a word play on one of my favourite books, has that characteristic mod feel. ‘Shoot From The Lip’ is a witty track, both in title and sound. Yet again, it has that head swinging catchiness which inspires such happy nostalgia.
First and foremost, I believe ‘None The Wiser’ to be guitar music. The album resolves around rhythmic riffs and well placed solos, which give structure and definition to the simple lyrics. Overall, this results in a brilliant sound. What’s more, The Rifles has an extremely down to Earth tint to their music, unlike the rather inflated and egotistical personalities of some indie bands. It is easy to see why they have a strong following. ‘None The Wiser’ is a very well crafted album, and they can certainly count me in as a newly acquired fan. Alongside the album release, The Rifles will be touring the UK this year. 8/10
Jamie Morrell
Watch ‘Heebie Jeebies’ (Lyric Video)