It’s clear that Spoilers have paid their dues. With the majority of the Kent based four-piece having spent considerable years in other alternative outfits, not least Southport, 7 Day Conspiracy and More Than Normal, ‘Stay Afloat’ carries some serious weight behind it. Far from inexperienced, the six short, sharp tracks bring with them a host of influences that fall together into a fundamentally pop-punk record with a twist.
Citing the likes of SNUFF and Gorilla Biscuits as inspiration, and drawing praise from punk veterans Face To Face, Spoilers aren’t your typical pop-punk quartet. Although Dan Goatham’s vocals may infer something more whimsical, their sound carries a distinctive retrospective edge that has more in common with the Fat Wreck Chords family than the current uprising of young pop-punk outfits. Neck Deep this is not.
Cramming six songs into thirteen-ish minutes, ‘Stay Afloat’ opens with the heavier, melodic hardcore musing ‘All For One’. With a ska-esque break towards the latter half of the track it sets up the multiple genre influences and unexpected jumps that dominate the remainder of the EP.
Spoilers have grown up on a healthy dose of fast-paced melodic hardcore, traditionalist punk and pop-punk. Gimmick free, ‘Stay Afloat’ is the sound of music lovers joining together to bring their favourite parts of these styles together. Not taking itself too seriously, the EP is a far cry from the deliberately obnoxious or the down-tempo. Spoilers are a young band in an old game; a game with plenty of life still left in it.
BEN TIPPLE