If you haven't been informed already, The Rakes are the sound of London today. From the incisive nature of their lyricism to the messy backing vocal that sounds like the back-end of an East End boozer on a Friday night.

'A shower and a scrub, still smell like the smoking bit in a Wetherspoon's pub' croons singer Alan Donohoe and like The Streets before him and Jamie T to come, it's Londoner rhetoric to relate to and to adore. It's the draw of the next almost-so-laid-back-their-vertical chorus and the instantly likeable quirks that this band provide that set them apart from their peers.

Where this single is let down is the lacklusture production from a one Paul Epworth, previously not one to disappoint (see Maximo Park, Bloc Party et al) that makes 'Work Work Work' fall slightly short of the mark - as if it were a rejected demo for the record. Where this recording washes over the listener and leaves no impact, it's a formidable force when played live.

The Rakes are unabashedly the sound of now, facets of negativity surround a belly of musical perfection - just don't dismiss them 'til you've been to a show, y'hear?