Irish punks SPRINTS have built a reputation as one of the most vital new forces in alternative music. Fronted by Karla Chubb, whose politically charged voice is a rare one in the UK guitar scene, the band’s 2024 debut Letter To Self earned five-star reviews, a Choice Music Prize nod, and sold-out shows across Europe and the US.
Now, with their explosive follow-up All That is Over out now, they’re set to leap from critical darlings to one of 2025’s breakthrough acts.
SPRINTS take over this week’s playlist to celebrate the release of their new record All That is Over, sharing some the songs which inspired them during the creation of the album.
Dandy Warhols – “Boys Better”
There’s a particular vibe to a lot of Dandy Warhols tunes from the 90’s. They are vibey, have an infectious quality to them that make you want to just bop your head to the beat. The chord progressions are simple but confident and driving. This song was a clear inspiration for Rage off our album. We are fans of psychedelic rock in the band, and I think we managed to do a decent nod to the genre, in our kind of way.
The Beatles – “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)“
There are lots of different reasons people still use The Beatles as inspiration when creating music, from recording techniques to world building. On this album we wanted to end it on a more epic note to put it simply, this song inspired us to really throw the kitchen sink at our final track Desire – we even had the same synth used in this song to create the white noise and wind, which we seasoned across the entire album in bits.
St. Vincent – “Hell Is Near“
Another quite vibey track, this song has its own atmosphere that has a dark feel to it. This would have been a part inspiration to songs like Abandon, To The Bone and even parts of Beg. On our debut I don’t think we tried to create as much of an atmosphere as we do in this album, the use of acoustic guitars, pianos, synths and more is not something we had the confidence to try before.
The Cure – “Hanging Garden“
This tune really helped us work out Coming Alive. The drums are very tom heavy and on the low side, leaving room on the top end for the rest, the vocals hit differently. On Coming Alive I think creating that space for all of Karla’s many lyrics is what makes the song work so well. It also leaves space for a bunch of guitars, and a wee fairy light synth.
DITZ – “Taxi Man“
Proving disco beats can still work if the bits are worked out correctly. The bass and drums in this tune compliment each other well. The noises from the guitar in the verse, I think you can hear a lot of this kind of noise throughout All That Is Over.
Mannequin Pussy – “Loud Bark“
This is a beautiful, ethereal and epic song that combines tender musical moments with the guttural rage from Missy. This is something we consciously brought to the recording of the album which you can hear most evidently on tracks like To The Bone, Desire and Better.
The Jesus Lizard – “Nub“
I saw the Jesus Lizard live for the first time during the writing process of the record and immediately went out and bought the biggest meanest brass slide I could find in the greater Dublin area. Duane Dennison is a master of organised chaos and it’s evident when you see him play live with the poise of a veteran jazz musician but the sound of a thousand teenage wasps getting pissed on cheap cider. You can the influence on Pieces, Need and Something’s Gonna Happen.
TRAAMS – “A House On Fire“
A killer track from one of the most criminally underrated bands. There’s a wonderful control of dynamics from the three-piece. It’s one motorik groove for 9 minutes but doesn’t once outstay its welcome. It immediately starts high energy, yet it manages to keep shifting gears until the tyres begin to smoke and your smartwatch is begging you to relax because your stress levels are too high. That’s not stress Siri, that’s high octane rock and roll. You can hear this influence in the heavier cuts on the record but mostly on the closer Desire.
Ekko Astral – “Head Empty Blues“
This banger comes courtesy of DC’s Ekko Astral, who we were listening to a lot during tours last year. I had never heard of them until Karla put on this track in the van and I became instantly obsessed. It’s monstrous and disorientating but also funny and playful and in a lot of ways a perfect soundtrack for the year that was 2024. You can hear the influence of this album on tracks like Need, Descartes, Pieces.
Marty Robbins – “Big Iron“
There’s something about touring full time that for some reason makes us romanticise cowboys & the wild west. Rolling into town with your gang, feeling the eyes of locals leering upon the outsiders arrival, searching for a nearby saloon, drawing a crowd, making a big racket, then making your dashing escape in the early hours of the morning only to roll into the next town and do it all again. Yeehaw.
Big Iron is a classic cowboy ballad from the seminal cowboy album. It was also a big song in the game Fallout New Vegas which Karla and I are obsessed with. The cowboy influence can be heard in tracks like Rage and Desire but maybe this influence might appear in an unexpected place. Who knows. You’ll have to listen carefully to the vinyl record to see if you can spot it.
SPRINTS’ new album All That is Over is out now.
