“One of the finest, self-assured debuts you?re likely to hear this year. Get ready to fall in love.” Album Review: The Young Playthings - Who Invented Love?

Wow, where the hell did this come from? At odds with absolutely everything happening in music in 2007 and sounding all the more revolutionary for it, London trio The Young Playthings are little short of a revelation. Taking thier cues from mid-90s power pop woth a shrewd threading of Phil Spector-esque girl group harmonies, the result is like a gone-wrong barbershop quartet.

Opener ‘Kimberly’ is a hooky, hyper-punk gem and ‘Tune’ has the heavy, slouching groove of Weezer before Rivers wrote songs-by-numbers. ‘The American West’ is a skippy jangler codling with a mammoth, swirly surge of noise midway and at almost nine minutes, showcases a band gamely pushing themselves. Whistle-friendly melodies swing in and out all over ‘Who Inveted Love?’ while some killer couplets add a world of charm to the already irrestible sonic soup. Highlights are plentiful and repeatedly rewarding, ensuring that while they may never be flavour of the month, there's is much longer lasting and ultimately tastier.

The judicious balance of humour, good tunes and the pretension-free, reflexive ease with which the whole thing plays out make this one of the finest, self-assured debuts you’re likely to hear this year. Get ready to fall in love.

© Alternative Ulster 2007