THEE SPIVS are back with their third album in as many years and with "The Crowds and The Sounds" they've honed their canny blend of trad punk, garage punk, post punk, new wave, classic English rock'n'roll and pub rock to create a magnificently varied album. Dare we say, these young men have matured, with Ben Edge proving his worth as an accomplished songwriter. Drawing from a more diverse array of influences, THEE SPIVS have lapped up and reimagined sounds from bands such as THE TELEVISION PERSONALITIES, THE RAMONES and early WIRE. The new album is a natural progression from their critically acclaimed debut "Taped Up" (which landed the band an early Mojo Rising feature and a Guardian New Band of the Day piece as well as praise in The Sunday Times and Artrocker) and last year's "Black and White Memories" (with reviews including Q, Uncut and BBC). ,The Crowds and The Sounds" is instantly more melodic and you can see additional influences from the very British qualities of THE KINKS. The songs are slowed down and slightly longer in length, with a lot more thought and work in to each one than the furiously fast, punchy numbers from their early records.