Honeyblood
Album: Honeyblood
Label: Fat Cat
Tracks: 12
Website: http://honeyblood.co.uk/

Guts, glamour and great tunes… resistance is in fact futile. "You are the smartest rat in the sewer," they sing on Super Rat and that's only track two. It follows a wind the window down, bang on the car roof, hurt heart rocking opener, Fall Forever, and it just might out the seal on your new favourite debut album of the summer.

Honeyblood are Glaswegian femmes Shona McVicar and Stina Tweeddale and they make a righteous noise - some candy talking indeed. The reference points are in plain sight - Breeders, Throwing Muses, PJ Harvey, even Hole - but that doesn't diminish their songs' ability to make you sit up and take notice. Listen to the counterpoint guitar chord on (I'd Rather Be) Anywhere But Here and try not to think of a great lost Prefab Sprout track, then pick up the almond eyes punky surge of Killer Bangs as it juggles The Ramones and the Runaways. Bud has bits of The Smiths, strands of the Marine Girls and a sprinkling of freak scene darlings Best Coast; while things get even more wistful, insolent even, on Biro with its marvellously murky guitar figures and floaty vocals - "All the pain you've been through will be making of you," they claim.

Defiantly lo-fi, but resolutely high quality, Honeyblood demands to be taken seriously, makes it easy to do so and rewards in spades.

Nick Churchill
www.thegranvillechambers.co.uk