Sprints - Letter To Self

Tired are we? January blues already? Feeling a bit hungover from the festive period?

Tough. Snap out of it. And if you don’t do it yourself, then Sprints will do it for you.

Slowly but surely over the last couple of years, the Dublin-four piece have been accumulating songs and honing their craft while supporting the likes of Yard Act and Suede, alongside two well-received EPs and a sold-out show at the 800-capacity Scala. And now, for the album. Wrestling the ‘big indie hope’ mantle for themselves at the first opportunity 2024 provides is testament to both the confidence of the group and of the debut album.

For on Letter To Self, singer, guitarist and lead-songwriter Karla Chubb confronts inner turmoil head-on, one consequence of a childhood spent in Germany (after being born in Dublin), perpetually feeling out-of-step with the world. Inspired by the anger which fuelled Savages – and Jehnny Beth in particular – the album is primarily a gnarly scream at the world.

And what a scream. Chubb possesses a titanic voice and a larynx-wrecking range which is deployed sparingly but effectively across the 11 tracks, including current single ‘Shadow Of A Doubt’. More controlled and measured than much else that surrounds it (albeit no less motoring), Chubb comes to terms with suicidal thoughts emanating from past trauma – begging, ‘Can you help me stop the screams?’. Heart-breaking in sentiment yet powerful in delivery, the ethereal guitar licks give way to one of many big choruses and the song points to a healthy future.

https://www.live4ever.uk.com/2024/01/review-sprints-letter-to-self/