The Subways

All Or Nothing

[4/5]

The Subways had quite the buzz when their debut, Young For Eternity, came out in 2006 in America. The U.K. trio jumped the pond with some decidedly compelling songs, combining dirty rock guitars with hooky melodies that paired singer/guitarist Billy Lunn’s swaggering vocals with bassist Charlotte Cooper’s lilting voice. Helmed by master-producer Butch Vig (Nirvana, Smashing Pumpkins), the infectious All Or Nothing takes all the right things about their debut and improves on them. Opening track “Girls & Boys” surges with propulsive guitars reminiscent of Queens Of The Stone Age and showcases a perfected girl-boy vocal interplay, giving the album immediate heft. The aptly-named “Shake! Shake!” and the heavier, growling “Turnaround” displays the group’s skill for crafting feverous, driving rock songs that have some of the best guitar riffs this side of the Foo Fighters. Young For Eternity may have been a misnomer for a group that’s clearly grown up, and grown up well. (SIRE) Emily Zemler