Right off the bat, the London based group The Rifles sound quite a lot like The Cold War Kids and the Arctic Monkeys, releasing a digital EP, featuring four sounds from their second album Great Escape, released earlier this year and later in July in North America. The title track makes the cut, but the remainder of the album is all new material that won't be on the album.
The group came about in 2003 when lead vocalist and guitarist Joel Stoker met fellow guitarist Lucus Crowther at a concert and formed The Rifles, releasing their first album two years later, entitled When I'm Alone, gaining some airplay, and a tour. While touring, they began work on their next work in 2007, Great Escape, which was released in January of 2009.
The Great Escape EP is a fun, light affair across the four songs on it. There's a sense of raw and youthful energy throughout, and this works spectacularly well. There's a clean feeling to this album, with precise and to the point guitar licks and lyrics. This is the sort of album that would be very fun to listen to while driving really fast. Like the Arctic Monkeys, it's the energy here that carries the songs, with the same sort of Cold War Kids grunge/pop sound that catches the ear.
The Great Escape - The Rifles
