Sprinters – Figure It Out (Track Premiere)

Formed around the songwriting talents of one Neil Jarvis, Sprinters have been making sweetly melodic dreampop since late 2015. Beginning as a live vehicle for Jarvis' solo material, the band coalesced around a line-up that also includes bassist Jon Hodson, drummer Mark Stevenson and guitarist Jason Hughes. They've since honed their live set and gone on to play with the likes of Chastity Belt and La Luz, as well as post-punk veterans The Monochrome Set.

Taking influence from The Replacements, Neil Young and The Velvet Underground, while recalling the sunkissed jangle of Beach Fossils and Wild Nothing, the band are now preparing to release their self-titled debut via the Icecapades label. Sonically, it's a huge step forward from their earlier lo-fi recordings – and to prove it, we've got an exclusive stream of brand new track Figure It Out for you to enjoy. Take a listen via the player below; read Andrew Jarvis' thoughts on the album and check out their forthcoming live dates after the jump.

"We recorded the album in Wigan – our hometown – with engineer Ste Jones," says Jarvis. "Ste owns the studio and really liked the stuff I'd put out on cassette and asked if we'd do the album with him. I'd previously put out a few solo albums but it was time to do a studio record. I'd finally found a band of really good musicians and that was when the project became Sprinters. 

"It took a lot longer than planned (just over a year). At one point it was almost the death of the band: I became very meticulous on how I wanted it to sound. It was my first time in a studio and I didn't like not having full control of the sound. Before then I'd record at home on a four-track, which really was all I was familiar with. Things got a bit tense. We ended up re-recording lots of songs which probably didn't even need re-doing. We then spent a good while mixing it. Luckily, Ste is one the funniest people we know, and kept the vibe light with his obscene humour. We spent most of the sessions joking around and it made it much more bearable. 

"When I wrote a lot of these songs, I was listening to a lot of Woodsist bands: Woods, Ducktails, Purling Hiss and The Babies, and Manchester's Former Bullies. I think they were definitely a big influence on the record, intentionally or not. But also a lot of bands from the 80s like The Replacements, Felt and The Feelies. We're really happy with how the record turned out, and planning to record the next one this summer.

"Figure It Out is one of the oldest songs on the record. I was surprised when Sam (Icecapades) picked it as the first single. It's about a relationship going really well, and then something suddenly unexpected happening to one of the people and both trying to deal with that."

Sprinters live dates

7 Apr – Alma Inn, Bolton (w/ Thee Mightees)
26 Apr – Star & Garter, Manchester (w/ Elvis Depressedly)
5 May – The Castle, Manchester (Sprinters album launch)
12 May – New Continental, Preston
21 May – Venue tbc, Liverpool
28 May – Snooty Fox Club, Wakefield

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Sprinters is released via Icecapades on 5 May