SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: THE INCITERS – I GIVE YOU MY SOUL

THE INCITERS
I GIVE YOU MY SOUL
PIRATES PRESS RECORDS

The Inciters have returned with their first release since 2023’s full length album, Bring Back The Weekend. Their latest EP, I Give You My Soul, also follows a special vinyl release, BBTW, earlier this year, capturing their singles, “Bring Back The Weekend” and “If I Could Only Be Sure” on coloured vinyl via Pirate Press Records.

Opening with “Give Me”, The Inciters greet their listeners with the warm sounds of a full brass section playing through a swelling motif before shifting gears into the bounce of the verse and the alto vocal tone of Sabi Kendrick. Kendrick brings the energy of a lounge singer in a smoky speakeasy – something accented by the frequent and lush use of vocal harmonies – to the proto-ska sound of the band. This is further seen through the Motown-inspired bop that is “How Can I Make It With You” and the following track, “A Hundred Faces”, the latter of which employs a hint of psychedelia that, with the backing vocals delivering the hook and a counter melody from the horns, has the distinct air of 1965 to it.

The first half of the EP starts strong; however, of the five tracks on I Give You My Soul, the standout track is “Dark”, the title track of the record in everything except for its name.  The bluesy ballad moves with a moody sway as the band lingers on every chord, indulging in a performance that shines equally for its restraint and subtilties, as it does for Kendrick’s bellowing vocals. While “Dark” is the definitive highlight across the record, The Inciters bring  I Give You My Soul to an up-tempo close with the ‘50s rocker, “I’m Alright”, a solid closer that is for certain.

The Inciters shine for their use of classic rock in a sense that very few are explicitly finding inspiration from. Rather than look to the late ‘60s or the ‘70s, a time where guitar riffs and thunderous drums reigned supreme, I Give You My Soul draws influence from, at the latest, the early to mid ‘60s. The resulting sound and instrumentation is bluesy, giving the record the sound of something that would one day go on to lay the blueprint for what would become ska. Through this, the latest EP from The Inciters is a welcome addition to their growing catalogue.

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