Spitalfield is one of those emo bands that you sort of had to go to high school in the mid-aughts to really appreciate. They were the hip emo band that influenced a ton of bands in the scene but never really had their big break like fellow Midwest emo bands The Get Up Kids and Cursive.
Remember Right Now was a fixture in my Walkman during sophomore year of high school and twenty years later the things I appreciated about Spitalfield back then are still things I appreciate today. Lead singer Mark Rose’s vocal lines are clean and executed well, but where this album really shines is in the guitar work from the aforementioned Rose and lead guitarist Daniel Lowder. There’s a real unique flavor to their playing that sounds both very on-brand to emo pop rock but also stands out with dynamic lead parts and interesting tempo choices that stand out as fresh within a genre that’s frankly been retread over and over again.
Spitalfield was a guitar band first and foremost. And for that I’ll always have a soft spot for them.
STANDOUT SONGS: “Those Days You Felt Alive”, “Five Days And Counting”, “Fairweather Friend”
