'Spinning' by The 7:45s

After a run of fantastic singles including 'Too Little Too Late' and 'The Writing's on the Wall', The 7:45s now unveil their debut full-length through LRK Records in 'Spinning'.

The Manchester-based collective, founded by songwriter, bassist and band leader Sam Flynn present an exceptional take on contemporary soul music - one that pays loving homage to the classic stylings of the genre ranging from stomping Northern Soul production to dance-floor-inspired disco to smooth and sublime neo-soul.  

Imaginatively named after 7-inch vinyl, The 7:45s are comprised of an ever-evolving line-up of musicians and vocalists who pay respectful nods towards soul music's architects but manage to present a project with a healthy dose of creativity and personality that finds the collective excitedly pushing forward to carve out a niche of their own. 

Conceived as a concept record that sees 'Spinning' embrace the thrill and excitement of a new relationship before the album's second half shifts the project's focus towards coming to terms with the heartbreak of love lost.  Songs like 'How Could You' and 'The Writing's on the Wall' - the latter featuring a notably excellent appearance from vocalist Nicole Battick - elegantly articulate those moments of remorse and self-doubt in true soul music fashion.  'The Music Always There for You' delivers as the perfect album closer.  We've been privy to the album's rollercoaster of love's ups and downs and just at the lowest point, the track's seven-minute, disco-infused workout arrives at just the right time offering that all important glimmer of light at the bottom of Pandora's Box.  Hope.

The band's website depicts their intentions as being "on a mission to produce the perfect single".  It's a wonderful thing for any band or artist to strive for, even if it does hint towards the proverbial - and perhaps unattainable - white whale.  Leonard Cohen's 'Hallelujah', as an example, came at the end of a five-year process which reportedly saw nearly 180 verses written and at one point saw Cohen in his underwear in a New York hotel banging his head against the floor in a desperate bid to complete the song.  It's fair to say that Cohen did in fact catch his whale.  As pertains The 7:45s - maybe they did too, but maybe that's for them to confirm.  Maybe it's a whale they never fully expect to catch up to but at the very least but at the very least, when considering 'Spinning' as a whole... by anyone's standards, they've come pretty damn close.