The Rifles – None The Wiser

The original Chingford quartet is reunited for their fourth album and it has paid dividends. ‘None The Wiser’ is not their most riotous affair but is definitely the most accomplished. The album is an amalgamation of the bullish ‘No Love Lost’ and ‘Great Escape’ and the luscious production of the third instalment ‘Freedom Run’. 

The opening three songs embody this combination perfectly. ‘Minute Mile’ opens with an angular riff which launched the likes of The Rifles, The Rakes and Milburn back in 2007. As it’s the only one of its type on the album, it is a refreshing look back on the late 00s indie boom. ‘Heebie Jeebies’ follows which, is more akin to their earlier raucous tunes like ‘The General’ or ‘Local Boy’. Up third is ‘Go Lucky’, a rapturous indie gem circumnavigated via The Jam. 

These three tracks are more than just a rehash of the past though. All have their own nuances and idiosyncrasies breathing new life into the classic Rifles sound. In merging their previous styles they have created a start to album which eases fans in before they truly set off down new paths. 

‘Catch Her In The Rye’ is the standout track which treads new ground. It begins with a Talking Heads riff and drifts away with a blissful yet resolute ninety second reprise. This venture is the perfect soundtrack to a tale of an elder informing someone they need to do more to succeed in life. Elsewhere on the album, the song writing embraces Dylan-esque harmonicas (‘All I Need’) and new found sense of melancholy on ‘The Hardest Place To Find Me’. 

The aforementioned ‘Hardest Place To Find Me’ is a splice of indie gold that only The Rifles can produce and a feat they rarely credited for. Being repressed is arguably one of England’s biggest social diseases. So, when a band write a song about the subject matter and get the tone bang on they should be lauded. However, unless your singing in a generic high pitched squeal, your yesterday’s news to the mainstream music press (Mojo aside, they gave a decent review of the album in January). 




Joel and Lucas have always written great love songs. For a band associated with football, boozing and The Jam, they are really classicist romantics at heart. Their debut album featured ‘When I’m Alone’, a venous anthem about unrequited love. ‘The Great Escape’ had the hit single that never was ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (it was featured in Gavin & Stacey at least ninety seven times) and third album ‘Freedom Run’, is almost exclusively about the theme in some form. Yet despite such an easy on the ear subject matter, no airplay comes for them. They are living proof that post-Oasis, the industry doesn’t want real people running amok spoiling their marketing meetings. Maybe they’re afraid their clear desk policies will be used for snorting all their coke we just don’t know. 

This album, for TT, is a triumph. It has anthems to sing to, it has production of such quality, it will keep surprising you on every listen. The only criticism is that they haven’t got any songs which would rate nine or ten out of ten but with every song a solid seven or eight there is enough excitement and quality hear to keep The Rifles flag flying high and hoping they catch a break like Frank Turner did couple of years back. Only through word of mouth can The Rifles achieve the success they deserve, so drag your mates, missus or dad out to the next tour. They will not be disappointed.