Ash: Race the Night – perfectly shaped pop-punk songs few others can match

The first regulation for any gig – a rule disputed only by fools – is to hit the audience in the face for at least three songs, preferably four, before saying anything approximating a cheery hello. For a band to do anything less than this (or, God forbid, pause for audience applause after every song) is a punishable offence.

Ash know this because for the past 30 years they have adhered to certain imperatives, the first of which is the sonic equivalent of shoot first and ask questions later.

That Tim Wheeler, Rick McMurray and Mark Hamilton have carried this tenet with them into their mid-40s is either admirable or predictable, but one thing is for certain: they know their way around a perfectly shaped pop/punk song like very few others.

In keeping with their experience, Race the Night’s first four songs (title track, Usual Places, Reward in Mind, Oslo) follow the gig rule: not even the less frenetic Oslo (featuring co-vocals from Amsterdam singer Démira), can escape the crushing build-up of guitars that slowly creep up behind you and melt your head.

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For the band’s first album since 2018′s Islands, they have, pretty much, stuck to the bones of the punchy blueprint with which we are familiar. Here and there, however, from Crashed Out Wasted’s breathy ambience turned guitar solo blitz (with added co-vocals by NYC-based singer Drew Citron) to Brainhead’s gonzo metal-pop, they flesh it out even further with exceptional results.