At the end of 2021, Manchester band SINKR arrived on the rock scene with their debut single. Taking obvious musical cues from Pixies, Therapy? and Bivouac, the two track release wasn’t always big on originality, but they were clearly very good musicians, and the material was strong enough to suggest that, over time, the band’s talents would grow, and listeners who still love the sounds of the early 90s might eventually discover a new favourite band. A follow up album ‘History of Things To Come’ (released in June 2022) brought their growing audience more of the same in places, but between the punky ‘The Cut’, post-emo-ish ‘Factories’ with its huge, lolloping grooves, and the overdriven post-grunge meets melodic punk of ‘If Only’, there was more than enough to suggest SINKR had grown as musicians, even over such a short period of time.
Those who enjoyed ‘History of Things To Come’ will love SINKR’s 2025 release ‘No Sign of Light’. From the moment the opening track ‘Gaussian’ hits with its machine gun rhythms, regular stops, and angrily spat, expletive driven opening verse, it seems as if the band have returned angrier than ever. However, the confrontational qualities of the first verse are offset by a great shout-along chorus, which gives the track a much broader appeal. Musically, there are moments where the guitar work occasionally shows off their love for Therapy? – especially in the way a deep chug is used to bridge the verse and chorus, but also via a decision to shift to a post-punk tone when delivering a pleasingly abrasive lead guitar solo – but you’ll find huge melodies here too, shared in more of the band’s own style. Some of the more buoyant riffs come with a less heavy hand, and the melodic edge applied to the chorus, where gang vocals add a harmonic element over a very accessible alt-rock riff, shows further growth as musicians. Some listeners will champion the variety of great riffs here, but in many ways, it’s the relatively simple hook that puts in the hard yards to ensure this track makes a great first impression. Whichever way you approach it, this is a great way to kick things off.
Moving into ‘Decoder’, a burst of feedback lays a base for a groove-laden drum part to set the tone and tempo, before some very obvious Nirvana-isms dominate a brilliantly overdriven guitar riff. The spirit of Kurt clearly plays an important part so many years after his death, and in the hands of SINKR, the knockabout approach comes with a lot of bluster, creating something that’d sound great live. The main hook feeds further into some of Nirvana’s trashier aspects with the repetition of a shouted title, but much like ‘Gaussian’, there’s time enough for a few more interesting elements here too, and a more melodic passage introduces filtered vocals, serving up an unexpected hybrid of grunge love and light psych, which shows off the band in a hugely confident way. The love for Kurt and company comes through even more clearly during the intro to the rousing ‘I’m Not Broken, You’re Just Fixed’ which introduces itself with a riff straight from the grunge glory years, before adding another filtered vocal, making everything sound more like SINKR in full flight, before a melodic guitar solo that provides a great melodic balance. Although some of SINKR’s musical touchstones lean towards the obvious, they occasionally have a knack for throwing an unexpected curveball: in this instance, it’s unlikely anyone would expect such a grunge-fuelled number to come with a middle eight full of Stewart Copeland-esque percussive fills set against a heavy dub bass, but that’s here in all of its glory, elevating the track enough to make it an album highlight.
That may be a highlight, but it isn’t as cool as the semi-punky ‘Cut It Away’, where SINKR explore a fast arrangement that owes a debt to the Grant Hart material from the Huskers’ ‘Flip Your Wig’. Despite sounding very different to this album’s earlier tracks on a musical level, a sneering vocal makes it very clear that this the work of the same band, and between a genuinely thrilling riff, an angry lead break and the kind of chorus hook that’s so incessant that it remains memorable long after listening, this isn’t just one of ‘No Sign’s standout cuts – it’s one of SINKR’s greatest tracks to date. A very similar approach colours the crashy ‘Marbles’, and although the rousing chorus and even more obvious Husker-love supplies something that’s ultimately enjoyable, it sounds a little like the band are repeating themselves. Even so, a superb lead guitar break and rousing chorus help the track to hold firm. It later becomes obvious that this acts as a warm up for the even punkier ‘56’ – a collision course of thrashing riffs and barked vocals, taking SINKR further into the realms of the Bob Mould/Grant Hart universe, that is over almost as soon as it begins. In just fifty six seconds, the band arrives, punches their audience in the jaw with a repetitous lyric and leaves, stopping dead in such a way that it’s positively disarming.
From a musical perspective, ‘Radio City’s Burning Down’ provides an instant standout with its moodier edge. The opening basslines sound huge when introducing a very dark melody, and the chopping guitar lines twist the SINKR sound into something that shares more of a post punk influence. The slightly ominous post punk influences also cut through with the help of a shrill lead guitar and a warbly lead vocal which, although requiring a small amount of adjusting to on behalf of the listener, is perfect for giving an already dark track more of an unsettling quality. It’s a small criticism, but such a great sound and arrangement probably deserved more than the title repeated in the name of a chorus. It still works, though, and if viewed purely as an audience rouser at live shows, it’s much easier to understand why such a simple and direct approach has been taken here.
By comparison, both ‘Tell Me If You Think It’s Not Right’ and ‘Strangers’ take a little longer to appreciate, but still bring some great musical chops to the album. The former – released as a digital single ahead of the album itself – finds SINKR in a slightly less abrasive mood. Opening with a fat bass sound, the mid tempo arrangement gives the vocal a little more room for manoeuvre, before a chugging chorus plays host to another one line hook. On first listen, it’s one of those numbers that feels like it should…do a little more, but over time, the call and response between voice and guitar on the verse, and the more melodic middle eight – where a Foo Fighters-eque riff paves the way for a prominent guitar solo – sounds a little more like SINKR in good form, while the minimalist ‘Strangers’ closes an often brilliant record with a strange, much darker piece where the rhythm section make a very late appearance at some four minutes in. Up until that point, the listener is immersed in a stripped back world of voice and electric guitar – occasionally sounding like a very distant cousin to R.E.M.’s ‘Let Me In’. A chugging riff does very little; another wavering vocal adds a kind of spookiness that would automatically split opinion, but the slow and laborious approach that’s taken here makes for even harder listening. Thankfully, the track’s coda restores some balance when SINKR throw themselves headlong into a fast, alt-rock jam – complete with shouty hook – just in time to jolt their audience, before bowing out on a largely excellent collection of songs.
With twelve tracks and very little filler, ‘No Sign of Light’ finds SINKR taking a fairly big step forward, musically, while still continuing to tip their collective hat to the bands that influenced them. ‘I’m Not Broken’, ‘Cut It Away’ and ‘Radio City’ present a fantastic trio of tracks, worthy of the price of admission, but with a few very catchy hooks and a wealth of great, if sometimes familiar riffs, this is an album that fans of riff driven, 90s alt-rock should definitely check out.
October 2025
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