The Common Redstarts - Killing Street
Killing Street starts with a slowly building intro of a thrashy guitar soundscape leading into pounding drums and raucous vocals. The song builds steadily throughout which is no mean feat considering the infectious energy present from the first note. There's an anger and drive throughout which reflects the violent undertones of the lyrics (evident in the title of the song!).
The Common Redstarts manage to draw you into this single in a way that many bands can't even manage with a whole album. Killing Street picks you up and hurtles you through the song without time to breath, but a few listens later you'll realise there's some great songwriting going on. The sound is reminiscent of classic 70s and 80s rock and roll brought up to date with some modern edge. The verses simmer, boiling under the surface before the choruses kick in and take everything up a notch, and of course we have a ballsy guitar solo thrown in for good measure.
The B-side Angel-Eyed Friend is a dose of light relief and worth a mention. The strummed acoustic guitar gives the song a laid back mellow feel reminiscent of 90s brit pop such as the Stone Roses and Oasis and is catchy enough to be an a-side itself, in some ways even more so than Killing Street.
This is a strong start for the Redstarts, hopefully they'll keep it up!