Spice “Spice”

Spice formed in 2018 and the fact that they come from the North Bay of San Francisco is an early hint of the punk heritage that is so clear in their music. This self-titled release is “wired together by brawny and brittle guitars, lock-groove rhythms, and vocals announce each moment and mood”. 

The studio voices that surround opening number “First Feeling” make it feel like a demo recording and there’s certainly a rawness to the power in that song and others like “All My Best Shit” and “Reward Trip”. These are urgent and passionate songs which have a feel of early Jawbreaker.

There are, however, also a few hints that Spice like a bit of melody and already have one eye on bigger stages. That’s first evident on “Murder” which has a kind of call to arms feel and you could definitely imagine this being blasted out on alternative radio. Indeed, given the success of bands like Idles and Fountaines DC here in the UK, you could see Spice getting some commercial success. Songs like “26 Dogs”  and “The Building Was Gone” are better than the music produced by both those (surprisingly) very popular bands.

This is what we would call a ‘proper album’ by a ‘proper band’. It sounds like relatively ‘simple’ punk rock but that’s kind of what makes it so good. It consists of 10 great punk songs delivered with passion and at breakneck speed. You’ll probably need a rest after listening to it, but you’ll soon be putting it back on again.