Sparrows

Cold Ground

Ottawa quartet Sparrows are no doubt influenced by some of their Canadian emo forefathers—it’s quite easy to pick out elements of Grade, Moneen and Choke on their eight-song debut LP, Cold Ground. But this isn’t mere mimicry; the band hack and slash their way through Daniel Thomson’s ominous lyrics, adding an intensity and ferocity reminiscent of fellow Canadians Sights & Sounds (coincidentally also the name of a song on Cold Ground), latter day Planes Mistaken For Stars (“Belly Full Of Hell,” coincidentally also a PMFS song title) or their massively underappreciated countrymen in the Stickup, who we once described as “if Moneen sounded evil.” That adage fits Sparrows perfectly, too. Here’s to hoping they can keep things together and deliver more heart-pounding records like this in the future.

Broken Heart/Kat Kat http://bhrrecords.com

“Sever Your Roots”