Palma Violets: '180' - Album review

Even if this whole 'guitar rock resurgence' thing is just a bunch of bulls**t, it's Palma Violets who've been made responsible for piloting indie's comeback, and it's this very album of theirs that's therefore such an intriguing listen. Last October's debut single 'Best of Friends', in fairness to the hype, was so good it should have made The Vaccines singer Justin Young an even more insecure teenage icon than he already was… and it's those jumped-up rumbles and rat-a-tat rhythms that 180 confidently opens with. What's bugging, though, is that 'Best of Friends' is still far and wide the greatest moment on here.

The dewy-eyed 'All the Garden Birds' steadies along via the downright tuneful sweat of keyboardist Peter Mayhew, and when 'Chicken Dippers' assailing pitter-patters stage singer Sam Fryer's puppy love ("You make me feel like I'm the only one"), it's charming. However, what these plainly aren't are killer gems to last a lifetime. 'Rattlesnake Highway' is beautifully unrehearsed just like The Libertines (with added Doherty-type screeches), but it's almost too like The Libs to be taken seriously. 'I Found Love', though, is the kind of melancholy Palma Violets should trademark; echoey guitars drown Fryer's daydreams ("I'm gonna find myself a lady friend, stick by her until the end") and it sounds awesome. More of this, and we can talk.

Tracks to download: 'Best of Friends', 'Chicken Dippers', 'I Found Love', '14'
If you like this, you'll like: The Libertines, The Cribs, The Clash

Watch Palma Violets' 'Best of Friends' video below: