Albums of the Year 2024 - Number 9

Sprints’ Letter to Self emerged in January as our first Album of the Month of 2024 and quickly won unanimous approval. Abrasive riffs, raw voice, thoughtful lyrics sung by the well grounded and impeccable leader Karla Chubb. The Irish garage punk four piece’s debut album is full on pain and passion spread across 11 delightfully melodic and catchy titles. All this sealed by solid live performances which make them an excellent live band, not to be missed! - Heloise, Rough Trade Office | Albums of the Year So Far 2024

 SPRINTS' debut album Letter to Self embodies their substantial evolution over the past 3 years. Transforming pain into truth, passion into purpose and perseverance into strength, the Dublin four-piece have steadily grown in stature, releasing two acclaimed EPs and building a fearsome live reputation.

Letter to Self is the sound of SPRINTS consolidating and levelling up. Exhibiting their most vulnerable moments and imbuing their visceral garage-punk with a palpable sense of catharsis that we can all benefit from.

Inspired by Savages, their sound matured into energetic and abrasive garage-punk, synthesising influences ranging from early Pixies, Bauhaus, Siouxsie Sioux, IDLES and LCD Soundsystem.

Singer, guitarist and lead-songwriter Karla Chubb tackles her inner turmoil head-on, and uses her platform to address inequality and issues close to hear heart, like the campaign for 'Repeal The 8th', and women’s ongoing fight for bodily autonomy, struggles with self acceptance, identity, mental health struggles, sexuality and catholic guilt. 

For their debut album the band set about transforming so-called “negative energy” into an opportunity for communal catharsis and healing. Karla Chubb explains sums up message that lies at the very heart of the album: “No matter what you're born into, or have experienced, there's a way to emerge from this and be happy within yourself.”