When it comes to double albums, there is a fine line between “just not being able to choose 11 or 12 songs” and “giving your fans as much music as possible”. Whatever The Rifles’ excuse, there’s no getting around the fact that their fifth album is unnecessarily long.
If that was the only problem, it might be forgivable – but these inoffensive indie songs are simply too forgettable to dislike. The Londoners draw parallels with Kaiser Chiefs (Turtle Dove, Numero Uno) and Madness (Jonny Was a Friend of Mine), although Caught in the Summer Rain tempers the perkiness with a vague twinge of grunge.
The overbearing feeling, however, is that The Rifles are simply a decade too late with this jaded sound.
