TWIN ATLANTIC

Meltdown (Staple Diet)

There’s a reason why call centres use Scottish employees so much: Twin Atlantic frontman Sam McTrusty’s Glaswegian accent brings a smile to the face whenever he sings. Full of bright guitar riffs and catchy choruses, Meltdown jumps out of the speakers with a sense of vitality and confidence.

Its pop-rock vibe is chart-friendly and approachable, but there’s just not enough here to make one song stand out over another. When the second track kicked in, I had to check that the first hadn’t replayed by mistake – not that they actually sound exactly the same but in an obvious bid to be recognisable, Meltdown’s 11 songs sound more like a This Is Twin Atlantic playlist (excepting acoustic album closer Snow In Texas) than a convincing album. Fans of, say, Feeder who want something attuned to a post-McBusted world have a reliable option here.

words JOHN-PAUL DAVIES