Situationists - Onwards & Upwards

On paper there’s nothing special about Sheffield’s Situationists, they’re four guys writing spiky jittery guitar music yet there’s something else about them. They’ve been getting progressively better live since this writer’s first encounter with them, over two years ago and with this, their second EP, they’re sounding as fresh as The Futureheads eponymous album did way back in 2004.

“This is a show not to be missed” they chant with Hot Club de Paris vocal harmonies on opener ‘This Is A Show’, it goes really quiet part way through before exploding into a second chorus towards the end. Fast paced and brilliant, you feel they may have shot their load right at the start. Fear not however, ‘A Cold Front’ has the shifting rhythms of Foals ‘Cassius’ but with frankly more sensical lyrics, “let’s forget about the weather” they command.

‘Fireworks’ is the slower track on the record, showing that Situationists are no one trick pony. The vocals may have a little too much reverb in places but for this time of year it sounds rather fine (put it on a Winter playlist and see what we mean). There’s space between the instruments sounding like a band with much more studio experience than Situationists. ‘Onwards And Upwards’ is the last song and is exemplary of Situationists appeal, multiple choruses and chants, vocal harmonies and punchy spikiness. “We’re plotting lines across a map… we’re like the great explorers” makes us think they’re getting rather confident. They do later ask what will happen when their luck runs out, but from the evidence on offer here, it doesn’t seem like it’s going to.

‘Onwards & Upwards’ is one of the most aptly named EPs in recent memory and is a document of exactly what we can be expecting of them in the future. Get in there now, before everyone wants a piece of them.