With a month to go before Transit arrive in the UK on tour with Man Overboard, I decided that I would look a little closer at the album they will be promoting this December. When first reading the track listing on “Keep This To Yourself” the first thing i noticed was that all but one of the tracks are under the three minute mark. Something you would normally associate with old punk acts but Transit are so much more than that and this album shows that. Every track different in intensity yet the same goal is achieved on every track; songs that just flow with ease. I could feel how every song would sound live as I listened to it. This in part is owed to the simplicity of their music. I don’t mean that the band lacks technical ability or sound depth, not at all. Completely the opposite. You can just feel how the guitars would ring in your ears, sense how the bass parts would fill the gaps and feel the punch of the drums shaking the floor and pulling the songs along. That may sound dumb but if you were to take other records and do the same thing you will not always be able to do this.
The whole album took me back to the feelings i had for music five or six years ago and this was and still is a strange feeling but it is one that I don’t mind at all. “Please Head North” got my attention straight away. The introduction riff for me is pure genius. It is one of those riffs that I could play or even write but it just wouldn’t sound as cool as it does on this song. The rest of the song does its part in maintaining the quality of the introduction. “I Was Going To Cross This Out” was the next song that really stood out to me. The introduction reminded me of Billy Talent but as soon as the verse begins that faded away only for the song to turn again as the verse riff became sharper, full of attitude and punch. These kinds of things are what I love about this album. The songs are short but they have so much in them to keep you happy. Tempo changes in abundance, long, swaying vocals complemented perfectly by the backing vocals enables this album to run its course without flaw. The title track “Keep This To Yourself” is a belter. It may even be my favourite track on the album. Yes there is very little in the form of lyrics but that does not matter. It is musically spot on. A lead guitarists dream in that there is so much time to express yourself. What I love about this song is just how tight it sounds. The pauses, the cuts in sound and then the gang vocal towards the end rounds it off perfectly.
I could write a section on every song of this album but the best way to fully understand this album is to simply listen to it. You will not be disappointed and the title of the album is just daft. Nobody would ever do that!
