Nite Sprites Only Better Changes LP
This sits in that sweet spot of soaring pop punk with gritty hollering and chunky diamond bass lines. The shout-along melodies are triumphant in a triumphless world, weary but fighting ‘til the end. While the band can air it out, too, with tracks like “Teaching Boys” and its chiming arpeggios, they’re muscular in sound in the evergreen tradition of groups like LEATHERFACE and OFF WITH THEIR HEADS. There is a wistful heartachingness to these tunes, but it always gallops forward. I also appreciate the lyrical abstraction, evocative and poetic even as the music sounds like anthems. A smart, spry full-length that’s recorded beautifully.
