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Ooh! Moody!

I tell ya, nothing says "I've grown up! I'm not a kid any more, and hey, we've shut that puppy up too" than strapping on a massive pair of ROCKTICLES and playing meaty riffs in front of a smashed up aeroplane. It's what you do whenever someone has called you a meaningless pop star often enough.

And if you can write a song which refers to your past, and hints that you're leaving it behind you, well that's even better. Throw in a reference to a '70s film star - the sort of movie star that grown-ups like - and you're practically wearing a big false beard and talking in an artificially deep voice about real ale and Top Gear.

Course, you can't hide from yourself, and so there are large parts of this which echo the pounding pop-rockery of 'Raoul' or 'Monster', especially the bits after the "teenage Steve McQueen" refrain in the second and third choruses. But that's OK, it's not like anyone is expecting them to have gone hip hop or anything.

So, a muscular reworking of the band's trademark sound, only without the really TRADEMARK trademark noise, which leaves them sounding a bit like just another rock band, but a million per cent less irritating than they used to.

Relatively speaking, it's a triumph!

Download: Out now
CD Released: August 18th

(Fraser McAlpine)

PS: is more convinced, plus they make a strong case for the Automatic to be considered alongside Lostprophets and Funeral For A Friend. Please don't shout, FAFF fans, he's got a point...