No Duds From the Fireworks

This is so cool. I had no idea the Shop Assistants were recording again. What? It's not them?!? Oh, then surely "Runaround" is a bonus track unearthed for a reissue of Chin Chin's 'Under the Westway.' Really? Strike two? Well, I thought I knew most of these wonderful fuzz-drenched bands from the mid-'80s, but the Fireworks are a nice discovery nonetheless... even if it took me 30 years to fall under their spell. Wait a minute. This press release I'm reading claims the song is from the band's debut album, 'Switch Me On,' out Feb. 10 from Shelflife Records.

Ah, a bright spot in an otherwise dismal week of news that had me weeping for the future.

Nearly all of the 13 tracks that make up 'Switch Me On' are frenetic reverb-filled racers with nary a dud in the lot. You won't be able to stop stomping the floor. When they do turn it down a bit, however, particularly on "Let You Know," we are rewarded with jangly pop that wouldn't be out of place on a split single with Razorcuts during the Subway days. I hope the band isn't afraid to keep that pace in mind a little more when they follow up this brilliant piece of work. Well done, Fireworks.



Listen to the Fireworks' single "On and On" here.