The Grunts are a two-blokes-and-a-girl Cork trio, and their debut album evokes the raw earthy innocence of early REM, Echo and The Bunnymen et al. Of the eleven tracks, five are re-mastered from previously released EPs. ‘Party Weirdo’ is punk done medium rare, and there’s punch and pungency in ‘Crawl Right Back’ and ‘New York Smile’. ‘Every Strange Trip’ has jangly echoes of The Byrds, a floating psychedelic subtlety pervades the very early, very U2-ish ‘Cruelest Touch’, especially Liam O’Shea’s vocal, and the Echo-like ‘Summer Must Break’ coasts along with a modest swagger. Just the job, all told.
KEY TRACK: ‘PARTY WEIRDO’