THE SAURS - MAGIC SHAPE CD review

The Saurs:
Magic Shape:
El Segell del Primavera:
LP/CD/DD:
Out Now:

★★★★★★★☆☆☆

Barcelona's most visceral guitar rock outfit come of age with a raging statement of intent that recalls Savages, Hole and Deap Vally to name but a few except that the Spanish trio are an all-male band. Who says girls in rock have all the fun?

Magic Shape is a blistering, bludgeoning and brutal album of rowdy post-punk, sub-grunge and pub-rock that represents this band's commitment towards sharp edgy melodies that out-riff many of their peers.

And it's some of those riffs that really propel this album forward rather than just being another bloody retro flashback. The single Thursday is one such track that takes no prisoners with a somewhat DIY arrangement (the harmonies in one ear are quite '90s in a charming way), while Ain't No Deal wouldn't sound amiss on a Penetration LP. Came to You continues the hurried theme and isn't unlike Drenge caught in a downwind while the foreboding rumble of Came to You ensures that one foot in '70s UK punk and US garage remains firmly rooted.

Most songs barely attain much more than three minutes on the stop-clock and the closing Flashlights signals a curtain-call of slower psychedelic rock that shows a tad more maturity than the rest of the album with somewhat sinister lyrics like "...the villagers remaining, locked up the doors and told their sons the menace through the whispers...". What can it all mean? There's a weird ramshackle 'extra' 'hidden' track tucked away at the end of Flashlight to add to the mood.