Album Review

Rumble Strips – Welcome To The Walk Alone

• 13th Jul 2009

With two years past since their debut, the Rumble Strips have a lot of pressure on this ‘difficult second album’ and it is difficulty they seem to have overcome with next to no audible hitches. Devonshire’s finest are back with another huge slice of rockabilly indie pop.

Opening with the title track ‘Welcome To The Walk Alone’ the listener is automatically thrown into a Hollywood-esque epic, with orchestral openings and Charlie Waller’s measured tones fitting together perfectly. The single release ‘Not The Only Person’ screams ‘written for the charts’ and sandwiched between the two is the poppy upbeat ‘London’, where Waller muses ‘Why can’t I love you in London?’.

Unfortunately I’m not 100% sure where the band was going with ‘Daniel’ which is very simplistic but doesn’t seem to lead anywhere or seem much more than a filler track. This can also be said of ‘Back Bone’ which never seems to kick off in the way you would hope.

‘Douglas’ and ‘Raindrops’ are a happy combination of retro-pop and melodious riffs which make them more than listenable and good for a rockabilly dance. ‘Running On Empty’ has to be admired for its lyrical composition and the closing track ‘Happy Hell’ is equally mesmerising in terms of lyrics.

The star of the album has to be the ninth inclusion ‘Dem Girls’ which screams summery optimism. Waller’s vocals mix smoothly with ska pop trumpets. There is something fashionably retro about The Rumble Strips’ second offering and it definitely lives up to all the type.