"They’re from England" Mike Watt
"This Newcastle trio ape the prototype heavy metal of early Black Sabbath with savage, snarling results. Their debut demo is a shuddering, cantankerous listen -like getting stoned and watching Jurassic Park really, really loud, or attempting to breed your pet lizard with a horny pitbull." James Jam, NME
"This Newcastle trio ape the prototype heavy metal of early Black Sabbath with savage, snarling results. Their debut demo is a shuddering, cantankerous listen -like getting stoned and watching Jurassic Park really, really loud, or attempting to breed your pet lizard with a horny pitbull." James Jam, NME
"I would hate to damn Shin Jin Rui with faint praise, but Roadside Attraction is the best local releases this month by a country mile. Hints of lots of lovely stuff on this EP: from Sebadoh through to The Keatons with a touch of Graham Coxon for good measure. Opening track Expletive Conquest isn’t the strongest, but London Stinks is a jolly old tune about how, erm, London stinks. I was there recently, and it did a bit. Good show.
All slightly shambolic, but that’s a good quality in my books. Safari Of Sorts has got some nice guitar that Mr Coxon would be proud of, while Discretion Assured sounds like early period Wire" Narc Magazine
"The oblique, pure punk revival sound of Shin Jin Rui would posture that they aren’t strangers to a battle, sadly their biggest tonight was with the sound desk. A gleaming, sprint-paced set broke through and their knees-to-the-ground heartfelt performance wasn’t about to be tarnished by anything from petulant connectors to self-destructing instruments. Shin Jin Rui are the epitome of ‘tight’. Their lyrical ram-raid/musical uppercut combination is instrumentally accomplished and, more importantly, innately believable. A band that understands it’s output and strives to cut it’s own niche? There is a place in my heart now devoted." Narc Magazine
"The oblique, pure punk revival sound of Shin Jin Rui would posture that they aren’t strangers to a battle, sadly their biggest tonight was with the sound desk. A gleaming, sprint-paced set broke through and their knees-to-the-ground heartfelt performance wasn’t about to be tarnished by anything from petulant connectors to self-destructing instruments. Shin Jin Rui are the epitome of ‘tight’. Their lyrical ram-raid/musical uppercut combination is instrumentally accomplished and, more importantly, innately believable. A band that understands it’s output and strives to cut it’s own niche? There is a place in my heart now devoted." Narc Magazine
"On 'London Stinks' - an undeniable highlight of their Roadside Attraction EP - Shin Jin Rui pour a cask of molten scorn on our nation's fusty capital, with a menacing missive that's as direct as it is unforgiving. Presumably, though, the Newcastle trio have a soft spot for Liverpool, with their proto-punk clearly indebted to the caustic twang of Teardrop Explodes and Echo and The Bunnymen. Of course, there's a gnarly angst to their music which the aforementioned often lacked, as first demonstrated on Use Your Youth, their split 7" with the now sadly defunct A Woman of No Importance, but in-your-face though they my be, Shin Jin Rui package their small-town dissatisfaction with enough originality, acumen and nonchalant cool to be one of the mainstays on the local music scene for a good while yet."
Norven Kane, Metro
"Shin Jin Rui pay no attention to posturing and posing, instead focusing on producing excellent, direct post punk that is both engaging and exhilarating. Opener Dress Up, a blisteringly off-kilter track, is a brilliantly brutal overture to a set that tips a hat to the Vaselines, the Fall, a Replacements/Hüsker Dü hybrid band that exists only in my head, Beat Happening, the Minutemen and Bleach-era Nirvana, and the set does not let up. The band's stated aim is to connect, and each of their songs does just that: spiky, yelped lyrics that demand attention, tell stories and ask questions without preaching." Narc Magazine
"A post-punk attitude and lyrics to match; "London stinks" anyone? Shin Jin Rui create a mellow backing to Fall influenced attitude, laden with elements of everything from new wave to The Ramones. They keep it simple with nods to The Modern Lovers and The Clash, such heady comparisons might make some dizzy but you suspect that these boys won't even blink. This is an exciting early EP showcasing Shin Jin Rui's rough around the edges ramshackle appeal." www.new-noise.net/
"It's an intriguing EP on many levels, careering blinding all over the place, in a search for…well who knows? The quest turns out to be an entertaining one. While Expletive Conquest is merely a bit disjointed and rambling, London Stinks sounds like Lou Reed fronting The Fall and has a sweet amateurish spirit to it. Other notable points include Kreeper, which mainlines a ramshackle version of The Cramps and the eastern European skiffle of the EP's title track. No-one knows where Shin Jin Rui will go next, least of all them. Keep an eye on them though." www.indie-mp3.co.uk
"SJR deliver a broken, dissonant, splintered cacophony reminiscent of Fugazi, but a little out of kilter yet coherent in a funny peculiar kind of way. Having jammed into the pages of the NME, taking all by the short and curlies and causing inordinate pontification with their Brutalised by Song Demo, this outing sees them consolidate their high praise. Their confident garage rock can rattle out gems like the opening track Expletive Conquest and London Stinks. The latter not surprisingly berates England's capital and suddenly you may think here comes some beefy anti-capital polemic. Unfortunately all you get is a whinge about beer prices, the rest is almost incoherent, which is apity. The shiver down the spine that Creeper delivers, having all the menace, gusto and guts of an early Stooges ditty is enough to send anyone back under their duvet.This EP (or should that be mini album?) is peppered with subtle humour, the odd innuendo and wry, if careless observations. The best tracks are when SJR crank up their guitars, throw three sheets to the wind and fight frantically with each other to get through a song. It makes for the kind of dynamic that makes them leaders rather than followers of musical adventurism" www.badrobot.co.uk
"It requires a certain art for a band to be able to pull of sounding really out of tune without being booed off stage. Shin Jin Rui, a three piece from Newcastle have mastered this art and use clashing guitar chords and wailing vocals aplenty on their 'Roadside Attraction' EP with savagely good results. 'Expletive Conquest' definitely stands out as the most catchy and 'user friendly' tune on the EP with a sing along chorus but just enough obscurity in the dissonant guitar solo to keep the mainstream indie fans from devouring it. 'London Stinks' has a very retro proto punk feel about it, from the guitar riff to the deadpan spoken lyrics. It would definitely belong in the 'cool as fuck' category of your local independent record shop…." www.roomthirteen.com
"Newcastle three-piece Shin Jin Rui launch their assault on the contemporary music scene with a four-track disk that drips with just enough attitude and reeks of just enough enthusiasm to satisfy sonic hunger as effectively as a drunken KFC at 4am does the gastric kind. From 'Dirty Bomb''s three note guitar note strum to 'Eternity Is Loaded''s bouncing bassline and clattering drums it's an enjoyable ride - especially the deadpan delivered lyrics of the latter. With influences ranging from Modern Lovers to Sonic Youth, you'd expect it to be an ironical and melancholic affair - and you'd be right. However, what saves it is the hard-as-nails production (the band sound as if they were recorded in Dr Crippen's kitchen) and the glorious fun of it all." www.room13.com
"And, for a three-piece, they sure make a lot of noise. SJR fall somewhere in between lo-fi Pixies style indie rock and a kind of prototype version of heavy metal. The influence of Frank Black and company is most obvious on the title track. If it's not a direct descendent of 'Vamos' it's at least a bastard child. Opener, 'Expletive Conquest', is claustrophobic clatter punk that name checks Dracula and the Easter Bunny, but Shin Jin Rui soon loosen up, and the surprisingly charming 'London Stinks' loses the smog for some NYC nonchalant cool. It's like The Velvet Underground, had they been waiting for the man on the Northern Line and not Harlem. From then on in, all the rock bases are touched, but most of all, 'Kreeper', 'Safari Of Sorts' and 'Discretion Assured' are sinister, deranged, sinister pieces of surfer punk, more suited to stop-start Tim Burton movie than Venice Beach. If they keep turning out tunes like this at this rate, Shin Jin Rui are a cult concern waiting to happen." www.highvoltage.org.uk
"the live sound to the demo and the seamless blend of Blues, Rock, Punk and Metal suggest Shin Jin Rui could become very popular on the nationwide gig circuit." God is in the Tv e-zine
"This smart Geordie trio deal in quirky pop bolstered by wry social observation – a little like Maximo Park but with less emphasis on pure pop and more of a passion for the weirder, darker side." MANCHESTER MUSIC
"Shin Jin Rui pay no attention to posturing and posing, instead focusing on producing excellent, direct post punk that is both engaging and exhilarating. Opener Dress Up, a blisteringly off-kilter track, is a brilliantly brutal overture to a set that tips a hat to the Vaselines, the Fall, a Replacements/Hüsker Dü hybrid band that exists only in my head, Beat Happening, the Minutemen and Bleach-era Nirvana, and the set does not let up. The band's stated aim is to connect, and each of their songs does just that: spiky, yelped lyrics that demand attention, tell stories and ask questions without preaching." Narc Magazine
"A post-punk attitude and lyrics to match; "London stinks" anyone? Shin Jin Rui create a mellow backing to Fall influenced attitude, laden with elements of everything from new wave to The Ramones. They keep it simple with nods to The Modern Lovers and The Clash, such heady comparisons might make some dizzy but you suspect that these boys won't even blink. This is an exciting early EP showcasing Shin Jin Rui's rough around the edges ramshackle appeal." www.new-noise.net/
"It's an intriguing EP on many levels, careering blinding all over the place, in a search for…well who knows? The quest turns out to be an entertaining one. While Expletive Conquest is merely a bit disjointed and rambling, London Stinks sounds like Lou Reed fronting The Fall and has a sweet amateurish spirit to it. Other notable points include Kreeper, which mainlines a ramshackle version of The Cramps and the eastern European skiffle of the EP's title track. No-one knows where Shin Jin Rui will go next, least of all them. Keep an eye on them though." www.indie-mp3.co.uk
"SJR deliver a broken, dissonant, splintered cacophony reminiscent of Fugazi, but a little out of kilter yet coherent in a funny peculiar kind of way. Having jammed into the pages of the NME, taking all by the short and curlies and causing inordinate pontification with their Brutalised by Song Demo, this outing sees them consolidate their high praise. Their confident garage rock can rattle out gems like the opening track Expletive Conquest and London Stinks. The latter not surprisingly berates England's capital and suddenly you may think here comes some beefy anti-capital polemic. Unfortunately all you get is a whinge about beer prices, the rest is almost incoherent, which is apity. The shiver down the spine that Creeper delivers, having all the menace, gusto and guts of an early Stooges ditty is enough to send anyone back under their duvet.This EP (or should that be mini album?) is peppered with subtle humour, the odd innuendo and wry, if careless observations. The best tracks are when SJR crank up their guitars, throw three sheets to the wind and fight frantically with each other to get through a song. It makes for the kind of dynamic that makes them leaders rather than followers of musical adventurism" www.badrobot.co.uk
"It requires a certain art for a band to be able to pull of sounding really out of tune without being booed off stage. Shin Jin Rui, a three piece from Newcastle have mastered this art and use clashing guitar chords and wailing vocals aplenty on their 'Roadside Attraction' EP with savagely good results. 'Expletive Conquest' definitely stands out as the most catchy and 'user friendly' tune on the EP with a sing along chorus but just enough obscurity in the dissonant guitar solo to keep the mainstream indie fans from devouring it. 'London Stinks' has a very retro proto punk feel about it, from the guitar riff to the deadpan spoken lyrics. It would definitely belong in the 'cool as fuck' category of your local independent record shop…." www.roomthirteen.com
"Newcastle three-piece Shin Jin Rui launch their assault on the contemporary music scene with a four-track disk that drips with just enough attitude and reeks of just enough enthusiasm to satisfy sonic hunger as effectively as a drunken KFC at 4am does the gastric kind. From 'Dirty Bomb''s three note guitar note strum to 'Eternity Is Loaded''s bouncing bassline and clattering drums it's an enjoyable ride - especially the deadpan delivered lyrics of the latter. With influences ranging from Modern Lovers to Sonic Youth, you'd expect it to be an ironical and melancholic affair - and you'd be right. However, what saves it is the hard-as-nails production (the band sound as if they were recorded in Dr Crippen's kitchen) and the glorious fun of it all." www.room13.com
"And, for a three-piece, they sure make a lot of noise. SJR fall somewhere in between lo-fi Pixies style indie rock and a kind of prototype version of heavy metal. The influence of Frank Black and company is most obvious on the title track. If it's not a direct descendent of 'Vamos' it's at least a bastard child. Opener, 'Expletive Conquest', is claustrophobic clatter punk that name checks Dracula and the Easter Bunny, but Shin Jin Rui soon loosen up, and the surprisingly charming 'London Stinks' loses the smog for some NYC nonchalant cool. It's like The Velvet Underground, had they been waiting for the man on the Northern Line and not Harlem. From then on in, all the rock bases are touched, but most of all, 'Kreeper', 'Safari Of Sorts' and 'Discretion Assured' are sinister, deranged, sinister pieces of surfer punk, more suited to stop-start Tim Burton movie than Venice Beach. If they keep turning out tunes like this at this rate, Shin Jin Rui are a cult concern waiting to happen." www.highvoltage.org.uk
"the live sound to the demo and the seamless blend of Blues, Rock, Punk and Metal suggest Shin Jin Rui could become very popular on the nationwide gig circuit." God is in the Tv e-zine
"This smart Geordie trio deal in quirky pop bolstered by wry social observation – a little like Maximo Park but with less emphasis on pure pop and more of a passion for the weirder, darker side." MANCHESTER MUSIC