Rifle Fire Rifle

Rifle Fire Rifle are an abrasive three-piece originally hailing from Dublin but now residing in the musical hotspot of Leeds as they bid to take on the world with loud angular guitars and jerky rhythmic patterns. The band first formed back in 2006 and since then they've been busy honing their craft and constantly playing live across the UK. The Doppler Effect is the group's debut release and as introductions go this is like a warm handshake followed by a quick head butt, it's a memorable, frenzied collection of scattered drums, loud guitars and a gloriously infectious vocal delivery that'll have fans of early Idlewild and At The Drive punching the air in glee. The title track is backed by two more punchy anthems in the shape of Burn To Exile and the simply brilliant jerky art rock of Rio De Janeiro, a track that welds a big fuck off pop hook to the band's already killer sound. If you like melodic hardcore with plenty of hooks and stop start rhythms, then you're going to love Rifle Fire Rifle, personally I'm already looking forward to the follow up. - rbfanzine.co.uk

Rifle Fire Rifle waste no time on their first EP. Opening song The Doppler Effect is a great way for them to lay out what they’re all about from the get go. Begininng with jangling guitars which are interrupted by scattershot drums and a bass line that gallops at breakneck speed before hitting the brakes for a quick key change. The poppy hooks are disarmed by the angular guitar lines and muscular pace at which they’re delivered. Also the singer doesn’t make the mistake of affecting an American accent in order to sound more ‘authentic’.

I have to say this though. The Doppler Effect owes a great debt to bands like Fugazi and At The Drive-In. This is not neccesarily a bad thing at all as both bands mentioned are beloved by thousands and made some of the best post-hardcore of the last twenty years.

The two other tracks aren’t quite as tight as the opener. The production is a lot more scuzzy as well and parts of them remind me of Hope is Important era Idlewild. Again this is not a bad thing per se but when listening to a band I’d rather be focused on what they’re like rather than which band they remind me of.

I think that if they hone their craft a little more and are able to carve out a more personal sonic identity then they could be firing on all cylinders. - thefourohfive.com

'The Doppler Effect', the new single from Rifle Fire Rifle, is to say the least a very interesting attempt at what can only really be described as a post-hardcore cum indie sort of genre. Like a cross between 'At The Drive In' and 'Biffy Clyro', this song has many ideas throughout, interwoven into something quite enjoyable. The song isn't over-littered with lyrics, occasionally cutting to a short musical interlude. The vocalist Phil Keogh, stretches and strains his voice pretty much to the limit, not always effectively or tunefully, but full marks for the emotion. The only major let down when listening to this single is the very poor quality of the production, which is a major shame, because I imagine this band to be a really good live prospect. Track 2, 'Born To Exile', is also an unexpected pop gem. In contrast to 'The Doppler Effect', the song gets straight to business, sounding very similar to the newer Fall Of Troy material. Track three 'Rio De Janeiro', starts with a low-fi clean guitar sound which quickly breaks back into distortion, and then into that old 'Fall Of Troy'/'Biffy' sound we heard in the past two tracks. Again, this is just good old fashioned pop music, but they do it damn well. In conclusion, this band is good; their songs are energetic and interesting, but seen as somebody's botched up the production on this record, you'd probably be better off seeing these guys live. - www.sandmanmagazine.co.uk

With a rocky Foals meets At The Drive In introduction, The Doppler Effect is a potentially exciting song. It's got a great pace, but then turns into a somewhat rawer sound, similar to that of the latterly mentioned At The Drive In. Not quite what you'd expect from the intro, nor the three well-groomed gents on their MySpace. A harmonica even works its way in there, and despite the fact there's a lot of different things going on, and varying sections and paces, it still works in a strange but charming way.

And it's not a different story with the accompanying tracks “Burn To Exile” and “Rio De Janeiro.” They're all songs that are harder to get into than their fabulous intros would let you believe, but definitely worth a listen. Their MySpace also features another track, and the album's out soon. However, if you don't like any punk music, with it's rough edges and whatnot, then you won't like this.

3.5/5 - www.alternativevision.co.uk