Sally Crewe & the Sudden Moves: Your Nearest Exit May Be Behind You

Cars and boys, the primary lyrical interests (read obsessions) that fueled the staccato post-punk engine of singer/guitarist Sally Crewe’s two previous long players, Drive It Like You Stole It (2003) and Shortly After Take-Off (2005), are still in evidence on Your Nearest Exit May Be Behind You. This time around, however, relationships take a front seat, while the automobile is used less as a metaphor for love than an escape pod from life’s troubles. One notable exception is Crewe’s wonderful ode to her Lotus Elise on “Call the Police”. Backed by her ever-changing band the Sudden Moves, which consists here of George Duron on drums and bassist Matt Baab (since replaced by Tommy Keene), Crewe, the Austin-based ex-pat from Yorkshire, has delivered another infectious blast of streamlined indie-pop that brings to mind the cool swagger of early Joe Jackson. Jagged guitar and a skanking stop-start rhythm section provide the foundation for Crewe’s whip-smart lyrics such as the catchy lovelorn lines found on “Magnet” (“You’re like a magnet / I’m just a little paper clip”), one of the albums many highlights. Great stuff!