Here be some fine, shimmering summer pop courtesy of Crumlin duo Mick McDonnell and Steve Cranley. This debut harks back to a time when melody, harmony and hook-filled choruses ruled the airwaves. In fact it’s not difficult to imagine the pair’s record collections consisting exclusively of The Raspberries, Badfinger and The Rubinoos, along with teen-dream 45’s such as ‘First’ Class’s ‘Beach Baby’ or Alessi’s ‘Oh Lori’.
Not that this makes them lightweight in any way; the recent single ‘A Day Like Today’ boasts the kind of classic pop craftsmanship that is all too rare these days, while ‘Life Goes On’ is a song Paul McCartney himself would’ve been proud of, back in his Wings days.
‘Still Here’ faintly recalls the Aussie ‘70s outfit the Little River Band’s FM radio classic ‘Reminiscing’, while ‘Until Tomorrow’ has a laid-back West coast country-rock feel to it (Poco anyone?).
Everywhere the harmonies are of cut glass vintage, the melodies well turned-out and the analogue-sounding production refreshingly gimmick-free. The overall feeling is one of guilt-free fun. The only pity is that this kind of fare seems to have fallen out of fashion in favour of a more earnest, world-weary approach. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go out right now and buy it!