Jersey Beat reviews Spoils System’s The Nope Out

Paul at Jersey Beat had kind words for both Sweet Cheetah and Spoils System’s The Nope Out:

“PR outfit Sweet Cheetah has been branching out into releasing records for a while now, and it not only demonstrates their commitment to the indie music scene, but it demonstrates their impeccable taste in music. They’ve been on a streak of releasing quality records, and this latest, from Hudson Valley, New York band Spoils System, is more proof. The band plays a mix of late 90s/early 2000s emo, and indie (think Get Up Kids or Jets to Brazil), with bits of shoegaze, and I even hear some early Mission of Burma influence here and there. The songs are solid indie rock, with an almost power pop melodic sense, but instead of the clean jangly guitar tone of power pop we get some great fuzzed and clanging guitar tones. ‘Subtle Amends’ is a standout track, with a resemblance to Jawbox and other 90s DC bands. The chugging rhythms, the call and response riffs between the bass and guitar, and the slow, smooth, halting vocals are all hallmarks of that band’s songs. And it makes a lot of sense when you check the liner notes and see that J Robbins gets engineering credits on the record. ‘A Fight Broke Out in Church,’ too, has a similar sound, with some mathy rhythms and the same sort of vocal and instrumental patterns. The contrast of ‘Force for Good,’ which follows ‘Subtle Amends,’ couldn’t be starker. The song is heavenly, with a softer, smoother sound that flows more evenly and gently, but builds in intensity over its four and a half minutes. And on a song like ‘The Fits’ we get a lusher modern dreamy indie sound that reminds me a bit of Cymbals Eat Guitars in their heyday. Spoils System’s sophomore LP has great variety, but is also coherent and consistent. Quality music here.”