Straight Lines/ Presistence In This Game

Straight Lines
Persistence In This Game
(Xtra Mile Recordings)

In a time when there are so many different genres and pigeon holes for bands to be shoehorned into, it’s nice when you stumble across a band than can’t be easily pigeon-holed – even if, as in the case of Straight Lines, it’s because they sit with their guitars and drums squarely in the middle of the road.
Persistence in this Game is quite an apt title for an album apparently recorded in bassist Todd’s garage and using borrowed instruments. It’s a classic example of how, when you have a pocketful of really good songs you don’t need a huge wad of cash, a PR machine or a gimmicky viral campaign – the songs really can be left to speak for themselves.
Lyrically they’re pretty strong too, with some stand out lines (“remember when we were little boys/now we’re men these guns ain’t toys” – ‘All My Friends Have Joined the Army’) and (“you should leave those boys alone/they’ve got cameras on their phones” – ‘Antics’).
Every song here is catchy and will get you singing along as you make that miserable trek into the office on a Monday morning. Great stuff!

Mark Cousens