Simon Spire: Four-Letter Words

Four-Letter Words is an undeniably promising full-length from a young talent who’s already more well-versed in structure and melody than a lot of similar songwriters twice his age. Everything on Four-Letter Words is clean powerpop fun. It’s only failing is that it’s also slightly unobtrusive, to the point where the songs don’t stick. There’s a certain predictability that emerges around halfway through the record and reveals an unshakable sense of familiarity. It’s a notion that disappears and re-emerges slightly over the course of Four-Letter Words but it never becomes one of the record’s definitive marks. While it’s clear Spire is still working some things out, it’s also evident he’s taking his cues from the right sources. His lyrics tend to stick to tried and true tropes but his personality has a necessary dramatic flair to make them work. He’s set himself up for greener pastures.