Cock Sparrer got their start in 1972 and are considered to be one of the pioneers of early punk and Oi!. The band was founded by vocalist Colin McFaull, guitarist Mick Beaufoy, bassist Steve "Burge" Burgess and drummer Steve Bruce, and while they have broken up twice in the ensuing fifty-two years, since 1992 the four of them, along with rhythm guitarist Daryl Smith, have stuck together, doing the occasional tour and releasing the occasional album. Now, with the release of Hand On Heart, they are back with their eighth and final (at least that’s what they are saying) album. When you’ve been doing what they have been doing as long as they have, you tend to stick to what the fans want, and while there are a few exceptions to the rule where they expand their sound a little, that’s exactly what they do here. Tracks like “With My Hand On My Heart”, “Rags To Riches”, “Nowhere To Be Found” and “Here We Stand” are great examples of their classic high energy, straight-ahead, anthemic punk with gang vocals, singalong choruses and plenty of hooks. As mentioned before there are also a few cuts where they switch things up. The most notable of these is “My Forgotten Dream”, which is more of a melancholy tune that’s a really nice change of pace. It features a string arrangement from Simon Dobson, who has worked with the likes of Bring Me The Horizon and Architects, and is principal conductor and arranger with the London based Parallax Orchestra. Although it's more of a singalong punk track, “Mind Your Own Business” is another one that veers in a slightly different direction with a bit of a boogie beat and a taut, buzzing guitar line running through it that gives it a really interesting sound. With production handled by James Bragg and guitarist Daryl Smith the album sounds great and as the band says, “for once, more of the budget went into the studio than down the pub!” Hopefully this really isn't the swan song for Cock Sparrer, but if it is they have definitely gone out with a winner.
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