Marks Set Go make me feel old. Seriously bloody old. The picture on the press release is of a bunch of teenagers with hip haircuts, standing throwing gangly poses on a wooden floor in front of a fireplace in what’s probably one of their parents’ living rooms. They look contemporary indie. They look young. But it’s wrong to go on appearances alone.
The music doesn’t make me feel any better about myself, though. Opener ‘Make Something’ is but a minute long. It’s sharp, a little shouty, brash even. The production is a little naive. The rest of the songs are similarly fast and sound like they’re only too eager to show that they can play, throwing in false endings, stutters, noodly guitar riffs, break downs and... well, actually, it’s pretty well executed. I can’t allow ageist churlishness to stand in the way of the fact.
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Yes, the vocals are a bit high in the mix and underdeveloped in terms of texture and tone, but there’s an exuberance that’s quite infectious, and the choppy guitars are tight with the rhythm. The songs are nice and punchy, clocking in between the two and a half and three and a half minute mark (apart from the aforementioned ‘Make Something’), and while there are almost numerous other bands doing this kind of indie-pop-punk stuff, Marks Set Go are definitely better than many. Yeah, these kids are alright.
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