Sal are a four-piece rock/punk outfit that formed in 2001.Thanks to TV appearances, radio airplay and numerous demos, UK tours and festivals the band have steadily built up a fan base. Their debut album “Dysfunctional” was produced by Greg Haver (Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia) and received positive reviews and frequent airplay on national radio. This latest release from Sal comes in the form of an EP entitled “Infatuation” which features five tracks. The first thing that’s truck me about the EP was that Ace (Guitarist from Skunk Anansie) had produced it. Anyone who plays guitars will know that Ace is a purveyor of fine guitar sounds thanks to his many articles in Guitarist magazine. As a result I had inkling that the guitars would sound special before I even put the album in the CD player.

Opening track “In Love” confirmed what I had hoped as big guitar riffs chugged from the speakers. The song itself is catchy and lyrically very well thought out and, as an overall package, gives the listener an immediate buzz thanks to it’s direct and route one arrangement of strong verse and powerful chorus. “Make It On Her Own” is another well crafted rock song but I couldn’t help feeling that the chorus resembled the chorus of “In Love” just a bit too much. As a little test I played the songs too my wife one after the other and without any prompting she said exactly what I had been thinking.

“September” is a little cracker thanks to its almost Nirvana like angular opening riffs that harmonically set up a tense and unsettled vibe. The band keep things interesting by going to a major key for the chorus giving the song a real lift. There is a nice guitar riff breakdown in the middle and I did find myself almost shouting “guitar solo” as the mood had been set to perfection but sadly it wasn’t to be as the band launched into another chorus. “Goodbye” sees the band all putting the rock pedal to the floor and giving it some real crash, bang, wallop. This track is full of energy as it races along and, like “September”, there is a great guitar breakdown in the middle that takes the song to the next level. The song ends a bit abruptly though  and I couldn’t help feeling that it might have been rather novel to bring back the guitar breakdown and play that out to the end with some added guitar spice. The final track “Dreaming” is a solid rocker with a spirited chorus that one feels could be one of those tracks that comes alive in the live environment.

“Infatuation” is a great sounding EP with some fine moments, in particular the opening track” In Love” which is as catchy as hell and played loud rocks big time. Repeated listens have left me feeling that the band has spent a lot of time getting their sound just right, especially the layered walls of riffing guitars that are particularly impressive. If the band could introduce edginess to their sound or develop the songs that little bit more then they could easily capture peoples imagination. As it stands they have impressive verses and choruses albeit a bit predictable. If they could just add a bit more spice to their arrangements they might be pleased with the response. In no way is this a criticism it’s just a gut feeling that had me thinking Sal can come up with something spectacular in the future. All in all though a quality release.

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Track Listing

In Love
Make It On Her Own
September
Goodbye
Dreaming

Line Up

Cat - Vocals
Noog - Guitars
Chris - Bass
Denley - Drums