If you merged The Smiths and Echo and The Bunnymen with a dash of The Mighty Lemon Drops and The National you get Spies, certainly on the evidence of the Distant Shorelines EP alone, though admittedly it is still not the whole story. Consisting of two scintillating and ridiculously compelling expanses of sonic and melodic ingenuity, the release is a breath-taking, imagination firing seduction which provides the evidence of one fascinating emerging tour-de-force. As their recent single November Sun, the release out November 18th via Trout Records, is a dramatically absorbing and invigorating sculpting of sound using essences of post punk, eighties indie, and noise rock. It instantly seduces and tantalises the senses never relinquishing its grip until the final ounce of its atmospheric evocation has caressed the passions.
From Dublin the quintet of Michael Broderick, Neil Dexter, Conor Cusack, Hugh O’Dwyer, and Jeffrey Courtney soon had attention and acclaim coating their early releases, the Liars Call Me King EP of 2010 and the Barricade single the following year. With radio play and attention, media coverage, and successful festival appearances surrounding Spies they soon built a strong and growing fanbase which will only accelerate in size with Distant Shorelines.
Opening with a raw and scuzz kissed guitar stroking of the ear soon joined by an intensive surf rock like melodic hook; Distant 
Shorelines has little difficulty in igniting a healthy appetite, one which has a hunger on its hands just as soon as the strolling anthemic drum temptation lays down its intent. The magnetic vocals of Broderick only increase the bait as his smouldering and expressive tones begin their emotive narrative within an increasingly enchanting and incendiary weave of aural fascination. The delicious pulsating throaty basslines and anthemically persistent rhythms hold an irresistible grip throughout but given a stage to drive the songs potency home with only the Morrissey like tones of Broderick for company, they enslave the passions for the song to exploit and treat further. The track is sheer sonic beauty; a haunted post punk unpredictability and emotionally intense melodic toxin permeating ears and thoughts virulently whilst the vocals weave their own expressive design to seal a spellbinding provocation.
Mint And Lime immediately offers a darker shadowed clad presence, the gnarled bass and drum webbing creating an addiction forging lure for the noise fuelled jagged guitars to conjure a psyche lit blaze. Like Joy D vision meets The Gaa Gaas with some Cabaret Voltaire for good measure, it is a hypnotic entrance which only piles on the persuasion with The Smiths like vocal lilt and melodic enticements. Chilled yet sultry, the song is incendiary manna for the passions, a presence which evolves a soundscape like no other and a sirenesque call which is epidemically efficient.
Together the two tracks provide all the imagination and incredibly potent evidence needed to culture a lustful hunger for Spies and their sound, something which the single November Sun just as powerfully endorses with its melodically flaming and atmospherically entrancing presence. Just receiving its video launch too, the song is another sensational urging upon the passions to embrace and succumb to Spies, one of the most exciting and aurally stunning bands to come along over the past couple of years.
https://www.facebook.com/spiesdublin
10/10
RingMaster 16/11/2013
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