Christmas shopping getting the better of you? Feet killing, fingers frozen through and misshapen by plastic bags too heavy to carry the whole way home without a break? I’ve the solution: dump the bags as soon as you’re through the door, boil the kettle and settle back with It Hugs Back’s latest, a song so calming it could cool the rage within a shirt-splitting Hulk who’s just found the last Transformers Bumblebee toy was sold five minutes before he arrived at Argos.
Tea or something sweeter, it’s up to you; this, though, is about as sweet as indie-pop gets without crumbling like sherbet all over your settee. The Kentish four-piece’s way with an affecting melody is wonderfully developed, even at such an early stage of their career, and with handclap percussion upping the twee factor somewhat – no bad thing here, haters – ‘Early Evening’ is perfect for winding down to. Perhaps take a Mr Kipling slice from the cupboard, too – you’ve deserved it.
To summarise in a word, then: delightful.
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8Mike Diver's Score