Brighton’s The Rivers are one of those boys with guitars sort of bands. You know, the ones who write nearly exclusively about girls, wear leather jackets and drainpipe jeans and are rarely seen without a fag hanging from their mouths. The British indie scene is saturated with these types at the moment so it’s just as well this lot can write good pop songs. ‘She Gives It Around’ is an energetic portrayal of a girl who’s a little bit free with her affection that’s about as resistible as Julian Casablancas. Which might be because singer Tom Borsberry seems to have stolen The Strokes leader’s vocal chords and had them firmly attached to his throat instead, the crafty devil.
‘Fold for You’ sounds less like the kings of the US garage scene and more like The Rivers recent touring partners, The Kooks, with its easy-to-sing-along-to chorus and so-Kooks-it-hurts guitar riffs and melodies. In fact, the riffs are so similar to those used by Luke Pritchard’s gang, they make me want to dig out ‘Inside In/Inside Out’ and find the exact idea that’s being ever so slightly ripped off here and then sit looking very smug indeed. Basically, The Rivers are a good little pop band who sound like they’d be loads of fun live but they might want to think up some more original ideas for their next effort.
Rhian Daly
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