Reviewed by Mike Rimmer

Strong debut album from Detroit-based indie rockers with a penchant for surging twangy guitars, memorable melodies and cool vocals. Main songwriter Thomas Trimble shares vocals (check out the vibey excellence of his singing on "Grief and "Muscle Car") with Kate Richardson's beautiful haunting voice (imagine a harder Leigh Nash!) and all these songs stir emotionally and bleed passion. '"Hourglass" is a brilliant song! Full of poetry and contemporary reference points as Trimble explores the desolate landmarks of his Gen X life before pointing to a more Optimistic future, "when the call come through clear/Rise." From the broody moody delicate indie sounds that pervade much of this magnificent album the sudden sweeping emergence of the surfer punk "Queen Bee" comes as a tempo changing shock but the band continue to up the juice with "Sugar Cone" (to imagine what it sounds like, picture Hank Marvin as a 22 year old in 1998!). In fact, if you married early U2, a little Joy Division and some Sixpence you'd get a beautiful post punk indie sound like American Mars have created here. Incredible vibe, great songs. Buy!

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