Relaxed – strong – tasty – just three words that you can't avoid using when describing this album to anyone. A quartet from Aberdeen, they've produced a debut album of 10 songs, all of which are perfectly exquisite.
That they start with the delicacy that is “Don't Give Up So Easily” is testament to the fact that this band, like a great chef, can produce sumptuous results with the minimum of ingredients but the maximum of care and attention. Taking two guitars and allowing them to ring and chime with melody and simplicity to the fore, delivering an undercurrent of throbbing electric bass and delicately clattering drums and percussion, as the most laid-back but upfront vocalist provides a lyric that's calming and yet engaging at the same time, his mid-high register voice delivering the song with just the right balance of emotion and airily wistful gorgeousness, there's an almost Cure-like touch to the guitars when they hit their stride as the track accelerates effortlessly. The entire thing has a sort of memorable commerciality to it that you never think of as anything other than just a class song. “I Know It's Over” gallops into view with a hook that's simple but effective on a song that's full-sounding as the drums lurch forward against more laid-back tasty guitar chords, the presence of delightful lead and wondrous harmony vocals providing a restful effect to a track that drives ahead neatly, again a more restrained Cure feel to the guitar work never far away, on a song with more punch but losing none of its wistful nature. “One More Time” bounces into life from the off, with a cascading gem of a twin guitar lead as the rhythm section drives it forward, this time a more mid-register vocal delivering the verse with an almost lightly echoed effect, still full of feeling, as the song climbs towards its glorious chorus, again so effective for something so easy, at the heart of it as slice of tasty playing and arranging with a solid centre and carrying you along in its wake as the guitars chime, interweave and cascade, that hook a positive pleasure rather than naggingly memorable, as the vocals also prove quite cyclical in warm-hearted way.
“We Came Alive” opens with ringing guitars as a quite solid drum beat bursts into life, the throb of bass underpinning another flowing, light and airy high-register vocal, delivering a meaningful song with warmth and yearning, a bit akin to vintage Divine Comedy only in no way as annoying, as the song spreads its wings and glides on a wind of tasty guitars, strident rhythms and wistful vocals, the addition of organ undercurrent providing really great extra texture and depth to the track. “Let Me Down” reminded me me a bit of a classic Dave Webster-led Luva Anna ballad with a Cure-like backing in its introduction, before the song hits its stride and veers from driving ease of delivery to soaring ballad with a vocal that runs the gamut of the scale on a song that's engaging without any obvious chorus or hook, but letting the emotion take over as the solid backing is balanced by the chiming guitar interplay on top, and a gorgeously lilting bass figure underneath, wordless harmonies adding the icing on the cake as it all flows ever onwards. Five further tracks continue to produce the goods in a similar vein exuding all the feel, warmth, passion and memorability of singing that this band is so red hot at providing, set against that back drop of chiming, ringing, interweaving lead guitars, as the rhythm section propels it neatly, solidly and tastily along to perfection. “Chances We've Had” has an almost seventies feel running through it, while “Small Talk” is a richly sung, flowing ballad of a track with gorgeous vocal harmonies, and “Looking Out For Number One”, led unusually by the piano lead but still with plenty of those chiming guitars, starts solidly but sedate, as the pace accelerates with a touch of urgency, the wistful vocals soaring through the heart of the song with magic and finesse, as the tasty whole just works a treat. “Time To Take Over” is a bouncy slice of solid commerciality, that really hangs around your head for a while after despite having no obvious chorus, the cyclical guitar figures almost a substitute, as the album ends on “It All Comes Out In The End”, a fitting end on a soaring song that slowly lifts off and never looks back.
All in all, this is one stunning little gem of an album – great songs, tasty playing, solid rhythms, excellent vocals and songs you'll never tire of hearing – as perfect for those long winter nights by the fireside as those never ending blue-skied summer nights of warmth and wonder.