When news filtered through that former Pixies bassist, Breeders frontwoman and all-round legend Kim Deal was working on her solo debut, most of us would have expected the queen of US indie to come out with a record of lo-fi garage rock, punk or something suitably raucous. Perhaps even toe-tapping guitar pop (this is the woman behind ‘Cannonball’ after all).

Lead single ‘Crystal Breath’ was a slice of clubby electro-clash with a martial beat and an earworm guitar coda, but it’s proven to be something of a red herring as a calling card for this album, where Deal showcases her sun-kissed Californian pop chops.

Opener ‘Nobody Loves You More’ is a swoon-some, string-laden torch ballad, that gives you the warm and fuzzies. The brass-inflected ‘Coast’ tips its cap to the Beach Boys for what sounds remarkably like a woozy, slowed-down, New Orleans second line take on Blondie’s ‘Sunday Girl’, while ‘Summerland’ positively drowns in strings.

The Hawaiian sway and slide of ‘Are You Mine?’ could have been an out-take from the Breeders in their weirder moments, while the bittersweet ‘Wish I Was’ sees Deal channelling her inner Yo La Tengo as she intones “Coming down is rough”.

The discordant ‘Disobedience’ and the propulsive ‘Big Ben Beat’ are perhaps more what we might have expected, the latter’s descending guitar coda, spoken word vocal and catchy chorus reminding us of her musical heritage. ‘Come Running’ hides an alt. country sensibility behind distorted crashing guitars, and ‘A Good Time Pushed’ closes proceedings with the kind of catchy alt. pop Deal has built a legend on.

Surprising, perhaps, but all the more welcome for it.

7.5/10