The Subways - All Or Nothing

Musical sobriety is a killer of young bands in this country, that desire to be taken more seriously after a big breakthrough record. So in a climate where every teenage group is paranoid about the need to push boundaries All or Nothing - consciously or not - comes as a small relief. As with their debut album there’s still a palpable sense of youthful vigour in the Subways, and expectedly it’s been reinforced with mile-high guitar breaks working with Butch Vig, who needs little introduction. So far, so predictable: there’s even a song dedicated to California, where the album was recorded (which may or may not be linked to the 1993 film of - whisper it - vicious murders). All that remains of the sweet, wistful British nostalgia are ‘Move to Newlyn’ and ‘Strawberry Blonde’, which consists of about a minute of delicate strumming before the song-proper kicks in and the chorus blows it all skywards. But there’s nothing uncomfortable about the transition to arena-rock for the Subways, and Warner’s faith in the band, evident in their selection of production dream-team Vig and Costey for the project, has reaped rewards.There’s plenty of instantly gratifying tracks on All or Nothing, and Lunn has cut back on the whine that characterised most of Young for Eternity. His voice is hardly rich, but it’s enough to alternate between the folk-rock of the title track to the metal ambitions of Kalifornia without a sense of discomfort, even if he overextends himself comically on the verses of the otherwise perfect punk-rock whirlwind of ‘Turnaround’. Punk-rock is very much the byword for at least half of the album, including ‘I Won’t Let You Down’, all power chords and physical violence. It’d be a shame to lose this melodious pop side of the band to the heavier future leanings suggested at on All or Nothing, but there’s never the impression that it’s a wholly-convincing embellishment in bleak anger or a true sign of things to come. The Subways are still a pop-punk band from Hertfordshire who’d rather yell about Girls and Boys than Fire and Brimstone, and there’s still plenty of time yet for them to mature. Gracefully or not, it’s going to be a blast.

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