Persistence in this Game

You can be forgiven for having never heard of Straight Lines; despite having supported the likes of InMe and Kids in Glass Houses, there has been virtually no hype generated around the release of their debut album, Persistence in This Game. However, just like other products of Pontypridd’s fertile music scene (Kids in Glass Houses and Lost Prophets, to name just two) they too could be destined for greatness if this is anything to go by.

The catchy melodies and fist-pumping rock sound found throughout the album disguise a genuine complexity of subject matter; this is not a band content to simply sing about how they didn’t get the girl. Instead they focus on issues that most young people are genuinely concerned about; the loss of a loved one (‘Loose Change’), small-town mentalities (‘Runaway Now’), relationships and sexual promiscuity (‘Antics’, ‘Oh Blue Eyes’), and (somewhat surprisingly) young people joining the military (‘All My Friends Have Joined the Army’). While sometimes their comments on these subjects are fairly superficial, the fact that they are already attempting to engage with real life, as opposed to the idealised, romantic world of so many other young musicians, certainly suggests they have potential to outlast other bands on the scene.

‘Persistence in This Game’ is by no means perfect; the instrumentation can sometimes become repetitive, and songs like ‘Perfect Mistakes’ are ok, but don’t stand up in comparison to stadium-anthems-in-the-making like ‘Say it For Your Sake’ and first single ‘Runaway Now’. However this is more a reflection of the high quality of some of the other songs on the album, and even the worst songs on here are perfectly decent. There are instances where they do move away from their standard sound (for instance in ‘Runaway Now’s reggae- influenced break-down, or the use of piano in ‘Oh Blue Eyes’) and it will be interesting to see whether they develop these styles in future albums.

This is a fantastic album; a debut which shows the listener how good Straight Lines already are as musicians, but which still suggests that there is bigger and better to come. It is hopeful, uplifting, contemplative, angry, and I defy anyone not to feel empowered listening to closing track ‘Set Me On Fire and Feed Me to the Wolves’ with the volume on max! Buy this album, turn up your speakers, and enjoy!