I’m going to skip the obligatory ‘there’s something in the water in Pontypridd’ opening paragraph and get straight down to the action. ‘Persistence In This Game’ is a brilliant album. Absolutely stunning. It’s twelve tracks of blistering, foot-shuffling dance-rock that I honestly can’t imagine any self-respecting music fan disliking.
There’s literally nothing to hate here. There’s riffs galore in ‘Versus The Allegiance’ and ‘To Be Honest’, glorious melodies in ‘Runaway Now’ and ‘The Ballad Of Peter Devine’ and while it’s neither a hardcore album nor a pop album, it’s got the delivery of the former and the accessibility of the latter. Think of a less irritating Billy Talent and you’re about halfway there.
The fact that it was recorded in their bassist’s garage only highlights the merit this record deserves. It’s sonically massive. If there’s one track that displays this best, it’s the album’s closer, ‘Set Me On Fire And Feed Me To The Wolves’. From the punchiness of the verses to the sheer emotional force of the ending gang vocals, it’s the ending track to one of the first truly great albums I’ve heard all year. Xtra Mile have found themselves a diamond here.
Andy R