If you ask people what Leicester is famous for, chances are they’ll talk about the 5000/1 shot football team winning the Premier League recently. Some might mention Gary Lineker, others may go for cheeses, pork pies or watches. It’s possible that Showaddywaddy could feature but truth be told, the sound of punk and blues probably wouldn’t come up. Yet that is exactly what the Jitterz duo are bringing us, and in such a fantastically fuzzy and effervescent way that we just had to add them to our Alphabet Bands Class of 2017.
The Oreo loving pair of Beth (whose cat may be her toughest critic) and Jaime (who is quite possibly a wizard) have been Jitterz for just over a year and do a cracking line in song-titles. Their first track, “One Good Song”, came out last year, and was soon being drooled over by a couple of very reputable blogs. Today sees the pair release their debut EP, Get A Real Job, which features tracks like “Unicorns and Glitter”, “Lobotomy Eyes” and “Girl I Hate You”. The great thing is, the songs are even better than their names.
“One Good Song” is a 2 and a half minutes of frenzied guitars and drums crashing together in a gloriously scuzzy and garage rock cacophony of ambition vs the mundanity of reality. It’s hopeful, desperately honest and damn catchy.
In fact, ‘damn catchy’, pretty much encapsulates Jitterz perfectly. Each of the four tracks on the EP is highly infectious. Riffs and rhythms combine brilliantly to batter your brain into submission, able to withstand no longer it lays down and allows Get A Real Job to plant its flag and set up camp.
Their sound is refreshingly raw and authentic. Bluesy guitars stomp all over “Girl I Hate You” and “Lobotomy Eyes” making you want to stomp along with them. Comparisons with The White Stripes are inevitable but not misplaced. The same energy and excitement emanates, like sound-lines from a Scott Pilgrim riff, as guitars are shredded and drums pounded.
They claim to be ”the uncoolest band you’ll ever meet” but the definition of cool is fluid and subject to change. Their sound, however, is positively radiating with influences from rock, punk, blues and soul that gives it a timeless quality that will never not sound great.
Jitterz ‘Get A Real Job’ EP is out now and available to buy from Bandcamp.
Alphabet Bands 
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