The Heartbreaks - Funtimes

The combo of jangly guitar and a joyful revelry in angst marks this out as a solid debut

Jangly, indie-pop guitars recalling The Smiths surface towards the end of opening gambit Liar, My Dear - a signpost for a debut album heavily influenced by melody and pop charm, if not Moz’s lyrical punch.

This Morecambe four-piece kick off like a slightly toothless Courteeners, and it’s not until the halfway mark that things start looking up.

Jealous, Don’t You Know’s anthemic chorus bursts out of the tunefully miserable song like an ironic celebration, while Gorgeous’ simplicity tub-thumps its way into your heart backed by thrumming guitars.

Singer Matthew Whitehouse has an appealing curled-lip, wobbly delivery with hints of Elvis Costello that’s great for their lovelorn, hormonal material, and at its best there’s a melodic lushness to the music and wit to the lyrics. Fun times indeed.

3 stars