From the off, it's clear the group have been influenced by other mixed quartets No Doubt and the Black Eyed Peas. As such, singer Amanda Reifer serves as the Fergie/Gwen Stefani and takes the lead on the majority of the tracks. She can flip from butter-wouldn't-melt on mid-tempo love song 'Twilight' to passionate and sassy on debut single 'Lick Ya Down' in an instant - and she pulls it off with ease.
However, it's 'Headphones' that showcases the band's real ability as musicians. "Boy I want to put you on repeat/ You will be the bass of my heartbeat," Amanda swoons over bouncy beats and funk-driven guitar riffs, packed with more tropical flavour and sweetness than an ice-cold can of Lilt. 'Sparks' proves they are more than capable of taking on the trickier ballads, producing an ear-snagging pop melody with a floating piano riff and radio-friendly vocals.
Penultimate cut 'Hurricane' injects a welcome burst of back-end energy after non-starters 'Wrongside' and 'Can't Live In A World' begin to pull things down. Like all good cricket matches, there may be quiet spells during the game, but it's only the final result that really matters. Luckily for Cover Drive, their very first innings contains some very memorable hits.
Tracks to download: 'Twilight', 'Sparks', 'Headphones', 'Hurricane'
If you like this, you'll like: No Doubt, Rihanna
Watch the music video for Cover Drive's 'Sparks' below:
