<< Back To Press NME: Submarine, June 1992 "SUBMARINE" pokes its head out of the water to re-introduce Dublin's Whipping Boy to the world. You may remember them and their bouts of claustrophobic razor pop from two years ago. Then it was all effort and little substance.They returned to Dublin to establish a direction and now they are ready. Their debut album is proof that time does bring the best results. Forced to sit still back home and consider realities,Whipping Boy have developed musically. While early influences still float to the surface occassionally,there are plenty of other changes to suggest that "Pet Sounds", "Revolver" and "Starsailor" were also onboard for the journey. "Safari" roars into life with some menacing guitars which power rather than blur, before Fearghal McKee's vocals rush into the middle of the gorgeous melody."Beatle" follows on this surge with more surprising turns and twists of a melodic rather than feedback nature."Sushi" is the album's "Heroin", a song about detachment and isolation which bares its soul and allows the, erm, rawness that develops make impact. As the guitars and drums build and then fall, you are presented with a weird picture full of fish and suburban yards. "Astronaut Blues" is a levitation drawl, a remake of "Major Tom" without ground control in sight. Again, your expectations are confounded. "Betty Clean" is more of the detachment blues that Whipping Boy seem quite happy to hang out with, its bobbing guitar line keeping a schizophrenic beat with the wafting vocals. The title track puts the new Whipping Boy into sharp, uncluttered focus. It caresses and touches in an exaggerated bout of heavy petting before it finds it's strange perch to laze and gaze in from. Again, there is an undertow of menace, but this time around, it turns to calm rather than further danger. "Submarine" has a startling delicacy, all the more for its surprises and soft edges. Its a debut album to rank with the finest this year, an album to remind the pack that its better not to rush into things but to sit, wait and speak when you have something to say. Whipping Boy have every right to be proud of this monster. It will be interesting to see where their periscope will alight on next. Jim Carroll 8/10