The Lincoln favourites share a new EP and are set to play their biggest hometown show later this year.

The 2020s have already been strong for the Lincoln-based The Rills. Having streamlined their line-up to which they felt they had found themselves with a clearer and more defined sound to their music, realising the ethos of which they wanted from the band to then signing with notable tastemakers Nice Swan Records. Now with their new EP release Do It Differently, it seems like that strong start to the decade is certainly set to continue.

Lincoln is not known for being the most fertile ground for the indie music scene, something that The Rills know all too well, having grown up there. Vocalist Mitch Spencer explains, “There were never any gigs, and the ones that were there were massive, so you go from pub gigs with cover bands to seeing the Kaiser Chiefs. There were no young bands, so we knew if we were gonna build anything, we had to leave.” The Rills would find themselves in South London – however, they never lost their background and stopped themselves from getting absorbed into the scene down there. Mitch has previously commented that their biggest inspirations were “the Arctic Monkeys from the North and Libertines from the South”, something that is clear in their music and has helped them produce such a fresh new sound.

But back to the EP – and wow, what a release. Every track from start to finish seems to build up the urge to go out and buy a crate of your favourite non-specific alcohol in a tin (no product placement here!) and just get absolutely rat-arsed with your friend group. It makes me think of dive bars, the ones that seem to be the only places in the city that play decent music. And I think that shows what The Rills really do best – they make the music that’s the soundtrack to just having a damn good time.

Commenting on one of the most recent singles on the EP, World Leader, Mitch says, “it’s an ironic bashing of modern politics — it’s a stab at our modern political figures, the way we digest media and the way voters express their views online”. The lyrics are full of fun little quips such as ‘When I don’t vote I’m voting for the current system’ and many others that wouldn’t be too far out of place being seen on a passive-aggressive twitter political spat.

The star of this release certainly has to be the title track of the EP – it carries an abundance of positive, feel-good energy, just in time for the oncoming of summer. Expect to be hearing this one a lot in the next few months. If you prefer something slightly more high tempo and powerful, The Rills have sorted you out with the EP’s first track, Skint Eastwood, which is one of my favourite tracks at the moment.

Think I’ll have to go and listen to it now for the 20th or so time today. It’s full of high energy, it’s highly listenable, and it’s now highly recommended. Keep it up, boys.