Steer Clear’s single ‘Please Be My Girlfriend’ – an infectious blend of breakneck riffs, four-to-the-floor rhythms and a surprisingly melodic verse/chorus – has been picking up impressive airplay of late. Which is just one reason why the future looks bright for this Belfast-based five-piece, who’ve been plying their trade since 2005.
Heavily influenced by the likes of Blink 182, Green Day and their ilk, Steer Clear have also logged an impressive gigging record in that time. They have the songs too: ‘No Regrets’ boasts buzz-saw guitars, tricky stop-start time-signatures and the kind of heavy riff-quotient that underlines their appeal.
Similarly, the nu-metal, power-pop charms of numbers such as ‘Sick To Death’, ‘Distractions’ and ‘Biting Your Lips’ showcase a tight, rhythm section, some impressive fretwork and commanding vocals. It’s not all as frantically-paced as the aforementioned: with impressively wrought vocals and a discernible piano emerging from the mix of guitars, ‘It’s Over Now’ is almost pastoral in comparison. ‘Comebacks Aren’t Your Thing’ also starts out on a deceptively soft note before building into a powerful thing indeed.
Meanwhile it’s back to the barricades for the closing title track, nicely rounding off an impressive debut which is recorded and produced with dynamics aplenty by Neal Calderwood at Manor Park in NI.