Singles

The Puncture Repair Kit - The Sinking of the PRK

Richard Wink 17/07/2009

Rating: 5/5

Sometimes you get a feeling about a band, a hunch, a light bulb moment that causes you suddenly to spin round like Columbo and go “Just one more thing” before pursing your lips and making a bold prediction. I think The Puncture Repair Kit are going to be huge.

The Sinking of the PRK is an EP to cherish, and one without doubt to get excited about. An assortment of merry multi-instrumentalists, The Puncture Repair Kit will immediately draw comparisons with a certain megaband from Montreal. They possess that admirable ability of luring the listener with a measured, romanticized approach, creating a profound sense of drama.

'Dr Freeman' tells the story of a child given a lobotomy in the sixties, it is a charming song, gorgeously textured, driven by ramshackle violins. 'Draws Lines' opens with a bluster of haunting female vocals and military drumming, before illustriously curdling into the battle of two lovers. 'The Death Waltz' begins like a gypsy folk staple, again it builds and builds tentatively before weeping bold tears of joy.

It would be quite easy for The Puncture Repair Kit's spacious, ambitious music to lack tunefulness, an unfortunate fate that has seen a great deal of inventive bands descend up their own derrieres before they purge pompous orchestral squelch. Be that as it may The Sinking of the PRK displays enough pop sensibility to entice even the most reluctant listener. I for one cannot wait to hear more from the band.