All That Is Over (Loser Edition)＜Pink Marble Vinyl＞

In the early 2020s, Sprints burst onto the Dublin indie scene with a raucous and urgent, often infectious post-punk that demanded leader Karla Chubbs disenfranchised sentiments be heard. Their City Slang-issued debut album, 2024s Letter to Self, did indeed find a significant audience, reaching the Top 20 in both Ireland and the U.K. The follow-up, All That Is Over, reunited them with Letter to Self producer Daniel Fox (Gilla Band), this time at La Frette studio outside of Paris. Meanwhile, Sub Pop signed on to issue the album in North America, with City Slang handling its release to the rest of the world. No doubt partly the result of months of touring together with new guitarist Zac Stephenson, the sophomore effort takes a slightly more nuanced approach, but without curbing their celebrated spirit: All That Is Over goes both harder and softer than their debut. Sprints rock as hard as ever, for instance, on songs like the ominous, metal-singed "Somethings Gonna Happen," which has Chubb at a full screech as it progresses, and the racing "Pieces," whose pummeling, distortion-drenched guitar riffs punctuate lyrics like, Help me, help me, Im a mess/Consider this my last call of distress." Setting up these moments, however, are songs like the slow-creeping, opening two tracks -- the whispery "Abandon" and the gradually crescendoing "To the Bone" -- as well as "Better," an almost tuneful, shoegaze-y, midtempo duet that sounds like a love song but serves as a kiss-off anthem. Elsewhere, "Descartes" addresses ego and entitlement, "Rage" calls out a false prophet, and the sarcastic, spoke-sung "Need" kicks toxicity to the curb. A representative mix of personal and political atrocities, All That Is Over is far from a grim headbanger, rather offering a cathartic, frustrated call to action that seems timely as ever in its blunt demands for care and safe spaces in a world on fire. ~ Marcy Donelson