What a year The Rumble Strips have had. From being tipped by all and sundry as one of the most exciting new bands of 2007 the group have stepped up and delivered. From their explosive shows at SXSW (culminating in Charlie’s arrest and jumping bail), to their triumphant headlining of the NME ‘New Band Tour’ in May, to their packed Glastonbury set that had the entire John Peel tent singing as one - the band head into the festival season with an arsenal of songs set to become the soundtrack of the summer.At the spearhead of this arsenal is the summer anthem in waiting, ‘Girls and Boys in Love’. From the opening bass riff to the ecstatic rush of hand clap rhythms and Motown piano, this is sun soaked pop at its very best. Clocking in at two and a half minutes, the track features some of Charlie’s most uplifting melodies, underpinned by his bitter sweet lyrics; Move to the city / lose all your heart / she ain’t that pretty / he ain’t too smart.The gorgeous harmonies are born out of the band’s love of 1950s doo-wop, whilst the epic nature of Charlie’s song writing recalls the oddball genius of both Adam Ant and Queen (as imagined by Lamont Dozier). The track, backed by remixes from Hot Chip, Devil's Gun, David E Sugar and Marc Leaf as well as the band’s blistering cover of and live favourite, ‘The Boys are Back in Town’- is taken from the band’s eagerly awaited debut LP ‘Girls and Weather’ (due out in September).
With the album, The Rumble Strips have recorded a truly classic British debut. With their somewhat eccentric origins in Devon, the four young men from Tavistock have fashioned a set of songs steeped with huge, life-affirming choruses all awash with the optimism of youth.
This is a band whose sound and look is entirely their own: thundering drums and piano, brass to stir the soul and singer Charlie Waller’s voice a thing of rare beauty and power suggesting the arrival of a genuine new star.
The band plays all the major summer festivals, including Glastonbury, T in the Park, Oxygen and V2007 and will tour the UK fully in October.