Maybe I’m going deaf, but this EP sounds really, really quiet. If a mastering job has been done on ‘Drive Like You Stole It‘, it wasn’t a very good one. Having had to turn the volume up to a stupidly high level to hear this record, I went on to almost deafen myself when it came to listening to something else. She Hit Me First play a mid-tempo brand of poppy rock/punk and do it reasonably well. The band try and hit the spot with singalong choruses, and while they don’t always make the mark, they deserve points for at least trying.
‘See Things Sideways’ sounds a little bit like ‘End Is Forever’-era The Ataris and the vocals throughout are pretty strong and remind me of Ladd from Park. Even though this four tracker is to a competent standard, I just find it passes through without ever really ever sounding like SHMF are ever going to become world beaters. It sounds perfectly good and, well nice, but it’s not to a high enough standard to make me want to listen over and over again. I think I’m trying to say this CD has the shelf life of a pint of milk without the top on – it’s something you’ll use for a couple of days and then ultimately throw it away. The four tracks here suggest there’s talent on show, but I don’t think I’ll be listening to it much again.