I was reminded of my youth as I looked at the rusting home-built go-kart which features on the cover to this CD. I remember my crazy Italian uncle welding chromed tubes all day so that my brother and I could race around a disused airfield somewhere in Essex. And I remember that night when my brother and I were rushed to hospital with severe conjunctivitis, as a result of unprotected eyes transfixed on my uncle welding our wheeled wonder. This rock/pop album smells of youth, angst, lost love and a few tears…

Tyson Ritter (vocals and bass) and Nick Wheeler (guitars, drums, keyboards, programming) have created an enticing album strong on melody and memories of youth. My Paper Heart kicks off the album with a rock song about love, or the rampant search for it. Ritter’s young voice pleads in the distance and suddenly comes to the fore accompanied by breathless surges of guitar and drums. A strong melody completes a pretty good opener. Your Star sees the guy still aching for it in a song that’s even stronger on melody and ‘rockiness.’ Ritter really gives it his all vocally and also proves to have an expressive voice capable of travelling the octave scale. By track three, Swing, Swing he’s still hasn’t snared his girl, and I’m looking forward to seeing this duo perform live. It’s an even better song and I believe was the band’s first single off the album. There’s exuberance to the band’s music that I think would translate superbly well to a live ambience. Time Stands Still opens with Beach Boys style vocals in a song about loneliness, and yes, he’s still can’t get that girl. By Why Worry he seems to have given up the chase, while the music moves up another gear and rocks its little heart out. The song is the pick of the album, although the following song, Don’t Leave Me comes pretty close to beating it. The album closes with bonus track, The Cigarette Song and a lovely vocal performance set against a pleasant acoustic backdrop.

This is an album about passionate youth by passionate youth for passionate youth, and doesn’t pretend to be anything else. It’s nicely written and well executed, with the only criticism being that the songs do sound similar - more acoustic moments and greater diversity of pace would have been welcome.

3.5/5