Spearmint serves as a great example of the value of fierce independence. All eleven albums from their 1999 debut LP onwards have been released on their own hitBACK label, allowing the band to develop their own distinctive niche in which storytelling is paramount. There is an instantly recognisable quality to their music which is pop-focused in the old-fashioned sense. Songwriter / vocalist Shirley Lee’s delivery is instantly recognisable with its combination of wide-eyed enthusiasm and ennui interspersed with spoken word passages.
‘Chase Me’ shows the benefit of Spearmint being able to pursue whatever wild ideas appeal to them rather than being constrained by record company common sense. Starting out with the notion of a movie script, a thriller set at night, Lee quickly discarded the original idea and set out to reconstruct it as a song suite. While the songs eventually serve as stopping off points rather than a faithful telling of the original story, it does seek to retain its narrative arc. What results is a dramatic 40 minutes with considerable dollops of ambiguity. Lee’s songwriting is suited to this approach as his lyric writing always has a conversational tone rather than sounding like conventional poetry. While Simon Calnan’s keyboards and synths are more prominent than on previous releases ‘Chase Me’ maintains the Spearmint tradition of accessible songwriting. The sixteen songs are thematically linked, book-ended by two out-of-body experiences, include three chases across the city and a suite of love songs
The record starts in atmospheric territory with ‘Let Him Sleep’ before the equally brief, sub-two minute ‘Go Outside’ captures their more abrasive side with pounding drums and harsher than usual guitars. With its description of addicts “chasing the wonder of that first kiss”, it serves as a romantic call to action that leads into the first single to be taken from the album, ‘1986’, a prime example of their pop excellence. It spins narratives of Madrid and Byker (Newcastle), a time prior to technological connection but where happy co-existence comes from dancing to the same music. Stirred into the time capsule is a reference to the Challenger Space Shuttle disaster and a fear of flying. 1986 feels a particularly pertinent choice of year as the C86 scene has always sounded like a big influence on Spearmint’s music, together with the emotion and euphoria of Northern soul.
‘I’m Not Okay’ is mainly a spoken dialogue between two characters, one for whom lockdown was a joy, with a disco beat driving it on. There are contrasting descriptions of chaos in the world outside before the return of a sung chorus, “I’m sick, yes I’m sick, yes I’m really getting sick.” On ‘Feels More Lonely’, there is the contrast between the description of feeling isolated in a crowd and the guitar-led pop with piano flourishes that recall the link between Abba’s ‘Dancing Queen’ and Elvis Costello and the Attractions’ ‘Oliver’s Army.’
The chases are sprinkled through the album from just before the midpoint onwards, appearing seventh, eleventh and fifteenth on the track list, adding a sense of momentum with high bpm’s. ‘The Chase’ is mainly instrumental apart from a few lines, the synths giving it a sinister quality. On ‘The Second Chase’, those synths surge and flare, although the greatest tension occurs in the final passage where the pace slows and tension mounts.
The reflective ‘Leave Something Behind’ uses orchestration to offset Lee’s weary vocal that while dismissing the fuss about leaving a legacy, focus instead on celebrating the majesty of moments and feelings. ‘My One and Only Life’ employs a characteristic Lee trick of the narrator observing his own life, initially with satisfaction before a twist appears later in the song. With its slowly strummed guitar, ‘Don’t Leave Me’ captures him at his most vulnerable.
After the life threatening second chase, the lead character starts to find something resembling happiness, described in a suite of love songs. ‘The First Man on Earth’ has him musing that “back when I was immortal, I didn’t like myself at all / then you let in the light and the colours feel brighter than ever before / is it just my imagination or do I really feel ok?” The almost serene ‘Stop Singing Baker Street’ encounters just one obstacle to the narrator’s newfound happiness; his love’s annoying habit of continually singing the old Gerry Rafferty hit. By a strange coincidence, I first heard this Spearmint song on the week that Sonny Baker made his Test cricket debut for England and each new bowling spell was greeted with the Barmy Army’s trumpeter’s rendition of the ‘Baker Street’ saxophone refrain. I could not help muse upon how tiresome this could become if Baker has a long, successful career. It also suggests why Lee’s songs are so appealing; his characters often have the foibles and testiness that I can recognise in myself, although ‘Stop Singing Baker Street’ itself has another twist and satisfying resolution so that ‘Still Falling’ sees the narrator blissed out and confessing, “all I really wanted all along was for you to like these songs.”
‘The Final Chase’ marks the album’s penultimate track. With its choppy guitars and mainly spoken word vocals, it faces the ultimate meeting with the grim reaper while still hoping to “trick fate and live forever.” Coming full circle, ‘Chase Me’ ends with ‘Time To Wake Up, a brief orchestrated piece ending with the idea that “new memories can be made.”
In an alternate and just universe, Spearmint would be huge. Musically, their songs are hook-ladened and radio friendly while the lyrics are heartfelt, emotional and vulnerable with unique angles. While ‘Chase Me’ is best listened to in full to get full value from its narrative arc, it contains many songs that would make wonderful singles. The album’s ambition proves the value of Spearmint being able to contentedly pursue their own vision. It is always a delight to enter their world.
Spearmint: Chase Me – Out 24 July 2026 (hitBACK)
I was editor of the long-running fanzine, Plane Truth, and have subsequently written for a number of publications. While the zine was known for championing the most angular independent sounds, performing in recent years with a community samba percussion band helped to broaden my tastes so that in 2021 I am far more likely to be celebrating an eclectic mix of sounds and enthusing about Made Kuti, Anthony Joseph, Little Simz and the Soul Jazz Cuban compilations as well as Pom Poko and Richard Dawson.
