aaamusic | On 22, Feb 2014

London pop rockers The Rifles have celebrated their decade together by releasing their fourth studio album. Ten years in the music industry is quite a feat, and four albums is also a pretty noteworthy achievement. Happy anniversary fellas!

None The Wiser has been released through the label Cooking Vinyl, who have also worked with the likes of Alanis Morissette, Groove Armada, Marilyn Manson, Hanson and The Prodigy to name but a few… So to be on the same list as these artists definitely puts them on track for this album.

First track of the album is ‘Minute Mile’ – a solid tune to open the album with. It’s quite clear that this will be a great song live; it’s a happy pop song with slightly heavier undertones. Next up: ‘Heebie Jeebies’. It’s faster and more upbeat than the previous, and has a slightly frantic feel that from this point onwards is present in almost every track. It’s kind of reminiscent of McFly when they started out, with maybe a more mature edge.

‘Go Lucky’ wasn’t a favourite, as it’s slightly too frantic, but for fans of that kind of sound – you’ll love it. ‘All I Need’, ‘You Win Some’ and ‘Catch Her In The Rye’ are all great tracks for summer, and who doesn’t love a good pun or two? Frank Turner fans will like ‘The Hardest Place To Find Me’, it’s a really easy listening track, and would be good soundtrack for any occasion.

Things cool down again with ‘Shoot From The Lip’ – it’s got really good lyrics and a fun beat to it. As you can probably tell from the title, ‘Electric Eccentric’ goes straight back up and just sounds very busy and frenzied to these ears. Final track ‘Under and Over’ has an odd time signature, which makes it seem slightly disjointed; a slightly odd way to end the album… But fear not! There’s a hidden track! It’s got an epic feel to it – and it’s a better way to round off an album.

Personally, I’m not a huge fan of this hectic style of pop, but for those of you who are – this album is a great one to add to your collection. Highlights were ‘Shoot From The Lip’ and ‘Minute Mile’, and it’s a shame they opened the album with their best song… But oh well. Nice work!

★★★★★

Emma Dodds