ON TRANSPARENT CLEAR VINYL - LIMITED TO 600 COPIES
 
It’s all very indicative of just how good this wave of alt-rock can be and what it can achieve when balanced to such a degree. SPICE are a weathered, emotional collective that dispense of artifice before the thought is even put on the table, and they present themselves accordingly in how great Viv sounds. For what they’re trying to achieve, there are no complaints with the production, as the band opt for a Will Yip-esque school of emo empowerment that lets the gruff, sepia tones shine and the clears the way for every instrumental part to carry itself. Even among this style, there’s an openness to SPICE’s sound that shouldn’t go overlooked, particularly when it comes to basslines that jump out with such robustness. As for Farrar’s role, he’s not a tremendous technical vocalist, but there’s mood to his performances that lends a pensive edge to Ashes In The Birdbath or Bad Fade. The degree of airtight composition goes all the way down, the only piece of flab coming in the rather ho-hum interlude Melody Drive, but even that’s not a total wash. It sets a scene nicely enough with its vocal samples and nocturnal shimmers of guitar to substantiate any notions of SPICE having a real chokehold on commanding the atmosphere in the music. And that remains true of Viv as a whole; it’s not enormously long but there’s a nice density to in in terms of how each piece comes together and leaves an impression. Honestly, it’s more self-evidently great than anything else, indebted to sources that would allow for that with enough of its own identity to fully cement SPICE as a cool, intriguing new force. The potential this has to leave a crater in modern alt-rock is staggering, and it’ll hopefully come about as soon as possible.