Sprints open up about their all-important second LP All That is Over, including the unexpected influence of video games and the unique way they’d like to “sell out”.
Irish post-punks Sprints set the bar for the best album of 2024 less than a week in, releasing their excellent debut album Letter to Self on January 5th. They essentially lay down the gauntlet for the rest to come – as if to say, ‘top that‘.
You might think the band mad for following it up within 18 months, but this forward momentum came with a point to prove on their end. “All the pressure to do this record was was placed on us by ourselves, not by anyone else,” says Karla Chubb – the band’s lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist.
“We were the ones that were quite eager to get new work out there. The main thing I wanted to achieve across this album was nuance and diversity – to show that we weren’t just a one-trick pony. We aren’t just a meat-and-potatoes, four-to-the-floor guitar band. We can switch it up, and play around with styles and textures and atmospheres – and have a lot of fun with it in the meantime.”
All That is Over, Sprints’ new LP, was recorded with Gilla Band bassist Daniel Fox back behind the boards after producing Letter to Self. New to the fold, however, was lead guitarist Zac Stephenson, who joined following the departure of founding member Colm O’Reilly in May 2024. “I was a little nervous,” he admits about going into the studio for the first time.
“The first album was so well-received, and I was a bit like, ‘Oh God, if this goes badly, people will say it was my influence’.” Thankfully, he found the process to be one of positivity and bursting creativity.
“I think the four of us are really good at communication when it comes to writing music,” he says. “Before going in, it was very clear what was and what wasn’t going to work.” Drummer and co-founder Jack Callan agrees, adding: “We had very little time to write and record, so it was all put together quite quickly. That meant we weren’t second-guessing too much. If we enjoyed something, we went for it. It was all pretty natural.”
Even before the idea of a new album had come to fruition, Chubb had found herself writing non-stop since the release of Letter to Self. This was forged out of a tumultuous period, where not only was she reeling from O’Reilly’s sudden exit but also a long-term relationship coming to an and – not to mention seeing atrocities like the genocide in Palestine and the US election unfolding. It seems inevitable that whatever would come next was going to be dark, but by comparison? All That is Over makes Letter to Self sound like B*Witched.
“We were drawing from a lot of dystopian fiction,” says Chubb. “I was reading authors like Octavia E. Butler, Paul Lynch and Jacqueline Harpman, as well as playing video games like Fallout and The Last of Us. I was big into a show called Silo as well, that was playing into the aesthetics and textures of it all. Anything dystopian was definitely a big draw.”
While Letter to Self charged out of the gate with buzzing guitars and belligerent vocals, All That is Over serves as more of a methodical slow-burn. Opening track ‘Abandon’ recalls the darker, slower moments of Joy Division’s discography with Callan’s isolated, reverb-heavy snare drum ringing out like a gunshot between Chubb’s subdued confessionals.
Next, ‘To the Bone’ recalls PJ Harvey as it wraps itself around a cascanding nylon-string guitar in a stunning goth-folk departure. “We played with a lot of Pixies loud-quiet-loud dynamics on Letter to Self, but the soft moments on this album are even softer,” says Chubb.
“We had a lot more confidence to play with textures, using a lot of samples and synthesizers. There was an original Fairlight synth in the studio that everybody loved. It was like one of the terminals in Fallout, where you go and beep in all the information. We all had a go on it – we were lined up like we were kids waiting to go into a playroom! I actually think ‘To the Bone’ was when I knew I’d made the right choice with Zac – I sent him my acoustic demo, and he sent it back with that e-bow part over it.”
Stephenson is humbled. “I was envisioning something like a banshee in the distance,” he says. “I knew Karla wanted it sounding eerie and ominous, which made me think to reach for the e-bow. We started playing it live soon after, opening shows with I. All these people that came to hear the songs they knew were hit with this really tense, quiet introduction. I think people were a bit spellbound.”
With the release of All That is Over, Sprints find themselves once again establishing themselves in what can only be described as a massive boon period for Irish music. Kneecap have been one of the highest-profile stories of 2025, while Fontaines D.C. have continued their upward momentum and the world has fallen in love with CMAT. Throw in acts like pop-rock heartthrobs Inhaler and viral folk-punks The Mary Wallopers, and it’s clear that the Emerald Isle is having a moment.
“We don’t really know what the driving force of it is, to be honest with you,” says Stephenson. “Even when we were starting out, there were just so many good bands and artists around the country that it’s not overly surprising. I guess it’s nice to see so many of them get international recognition.You go to any gig in any small venue here, and usually most of the bands are pretty great – even the ones who don’t go on to become overly successful. There’s generally both a really high standard and a real diversity of acts here.”
Callan nods. “Pillow Queens sound nothing like Fontaines, who sound nothing like CMAT, who sounds nothing like Gilla Band, who sound nothing like The Mary Wallopers,” he adds. “The reason you can tell they’re all Irish acts is because they’re all true to themselves. None of them started making music with any expectation of it becoming a career, or becoming their full-time job. They make art because they feel they must, to be comfortable in their own skin. There is so much love and passion that comes out of the music in Ireland.”
Said love and passion is forged into All That is Over, making for one of the year’s most arresting and rewarding rock albums. Though its outlook may be laced with grey, the band put it out into the world with laces of hope and cracks where the light gets in. “I hope this album gives listeners the confidence to be angry at the world, but to use that as a fuel to fight for what matters,” says Chubb steadfastly. “I hope it gives you the inspiration to pick up instruments and make lots of shit happen.”
Callan and Stephenson smile and nod, but can’t help themselves. “You should never go first!” quips Stephenson. “What can I add to that? ‘I hope it gives people an appreciation for French butter, because that’s what fuelled the making of it!’” Perhaps a butter ad is on the card? If it’s good enough for Johnny Rotten, it’s surely good enough for Sprints. Callan, however, is setting his sights a little higher: “James Gunn seems to like us,” he says, “so hopefully he puts us in one of his projects.” “Yeah!,” says Chubb, grinning. “Put us in Peacemaker!”
All That is Over is out now via City Slang. It can be streamed, downloaded and purchased here.
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