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Apr 1, 2014Skaters' knack for writing infectious melodies often offsets their enthusiasm, so although Manhattan is an uneven record, its bright spots still have capacity to shine like Times Square.
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Feb 27, 2014Each of the 11 songs here are positioned at some point in an endless cycle of going out, scoping girls, getting drunk, making out, passing out, and “waking up in [your] clothes.” But for Skaters, such scenes are apparently so routine that they often sound disinterested in their own debauchery.
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MojoFeb 21, 2014Just as you're thinking "so far, so generic," they wrong-foot you, as their debut album starts to incorporate seemingly random elements of knock-kneed white reggae, snotty hardcore punk and snatched bar conversations. [Mar 2014, p.94]
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Q MagazineMar 18, 2014There's a definite vim here; all they need to do now is to add in a little more of their own DNA. [Apr 2014, p.119]
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Feb 24, 2014There are a couple of duff tracks here, in the shape of ‘Fear Of The Knife’ and the horrible cod-reggae of ‘Bandbreaker’. More broadly, Skaters’ whole shtick can feel about as current as that Hot Hot Heat T-shirt lurking in your bottom drawer.
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Feb 21, 2014Nothing new, then, but Manhattan is the indie equivalent of a guilty pleasure.
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Feb 21, 2014It is churlish to dismiss a band after one record, however: there is potential here for so much more. This record, however, is the most irritating one you will have heard in a while.
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Feb 25, 2014With the help of producer John Hill (Phantogram, M.I.A., Wavves, Shakira) Cummings and guitarist/co-founder Joshua Hubbard (The Paddingtons, Dirty Pretty Things) weave guitar lines together into a glassy meshwork that sparkles with clarity while retaining the grit and jangle the lyrics call for.
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Feb 28, 2014Perhaps there is true value in capturing the shallow, empty soul of being young (and rich) in New York as succinctly as possible. This is not to suggest that there aren’t moments of genuine inspiration sprinkled throughout.
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Feb 25, 2014Manhattan would thus far be a brilliantly joyous record, buzzing with intention and vitality. Unfortunately there are a pair of oddball transgressions that ruin this.
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Alternative PressFeb 21, 2014Skaters work best when they're not being too aggressive, letting the songs breathe while pushing the melodies out. [Mar 2014, p.94]
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Feb 24, 2014After three tracks of fast-paced garage rock, Band Breaker wrongfoots us with a lolling dub rhythm.
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May 28, 2014The album clatters out of focus in a pleasing fashion.
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Feb 21, 2014It takes a few tracks for the album’s energy to ramp up, but by the time you reach “To Be Young,” the pop craftsmanship and solid performance have drawn you in.
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Apr 30, 2014Between their ferocious instrumentation and a razor-sharp understanding of who they are, these New Yorkers hope to usher in a return to the city’s two-finger salute heyday. So far, so good.
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Feb 24, 2014This is as good as any album post-punk/garage rock has produced in quite some time.
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Feb 25, 2014If you can get past the (New York-ishly cynical?) temptation to corner this band into an indie frame, you can revel in the depth and intricacies that the band has managed to unearth from and on Manhattan.