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Fresh Legs – Chess (single)

The title of Fresh Legs excellent new single, ‘Chess’, is meant to refer to the scenario played out in its lyrics. Yet the nature of the game itself neatly describes Fresh Legs themselves: All of the players – Thom, Carl, Karl and Ella - are integral and indispensable, indispensable part which you can’t do without, but ultimately the Queen holds all the power. And boy, does Ella’s voice have plenty of that.

On my first listen to ‘Chess’ – the second single release following the well received Sam Wise – I was momentarily disappointed, thinking it a bit ‘soft’ compared to their other songs. But by second listen, I was hooked as it is an insanely catchy, bi-polar blur of a song.

The percussive tapping and jangly chorded intro, is dripped over with petulantly oozed ‘uh-oh, oh no’s, before being propelled by a jagged mod bass and spiky riffs egging on Ella’s building eruption from cute to manically passioned.

What follows is a four minute blast of sulky pouts and sultry sneers, carried along by punchy, moody, jumpy strumming and drumming - the equivalent of an enthusiastic finger prod to the chest to ram the point home.

Ridiculously catchy riffs inject themselves like ADHD outbursts and propel the mood from mellow to manic; dizzyingly kooky gentleness one moment before a blistering eruption of teeth-rattling buzz saw intensity the next.

It’s possibly got one bridge too many – personally I think the first break could be dispensed with to keep the momentum, rather than the two breaks. Plus the ‘sorrow’ refrains are a good idea for the break, but the boys are a bit lacking in manliness for once – but otherwise, its’ a well-crafted, stroppy-poppy, bounce-along, summer beast of a song.

Cute, sexy, precociously punchy and some stomping, thumping rhythms – this is perfect loud, boisterous, sunny festival music.

Backed with the slightly more off-kilter ‘House’, Fresh Legs are showing a developing knack for addictive and impressive song writing, which should see this release find it’s way onto many a play-list – Fans of indie-punk, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Florence and the Machine, Gossip – and even LadyHawke or Lily – should find plenty to enjoy here.

‘Chess’ is released on 26th May on 7” vinyl and download.

http://www.myspace.com/thosefreshlegs