Sharp Like Knives

This Halifax quintet serve up a pleasantly ragged, rough and tumble take on death disco. Formed in 2003, Sharp Like Knives combine raw and gritty vocals, cacophonic keyboards, and splitting, erratic guitars to deliver a driven dance punk sound that teeters between a planned insanity and an unmanageable freak-out. Striking a chord of familiarity with the Rapture, Sharp Like Knives aren’t covering any new territory, but have created a compelling debut album just the same. Tracks like "No Pressure” and "We’re Cutting Off Our Arms” play out through staggering fits and stabs of rhythmic intensity. "God Damn!” and "Running like Wolves” piece themselves together through immense bursts heard from all members of the band. There are also plenty of clap-alongs throughout, which makes participation mandatory in listening to No Pressure. The drive in this record is high from start to finish, making it tough to turn it off.