Here’s an educated tip: expect Big Deal’s Alice Costelloe and Kacey Underwood to be on the lips of indie enthusiasts in the immediate future. Citing this especially pleasing debut release Lights Out, the duo appear poised to live up to their moniker.

The album’s sunny opening track "Distant Neighborhood" effectively establishes the sparse architecture of the duo’s debut, a tandem effort between acoustic and electric guitars the only instrumentation evident. Naturally, juxtaposed to the world of maniacally over-produced mainstream pop, Big Deal’s approach - one that endures over the entire album - does emerge a cute novelty. They opt to keep things refreshingly raw, with few indications of indulgent tinkering creeping into earshot.

It should be said, however, that Big Deal’s chosen configuration is one that bears both pros and cons. The record’s flimsy simplicity does wear thin after a while, if only for its sheer predictability. A drastic departure is never entertained across the album’s forty minute duration, the duo content, unfortunately, to stay the course. To cite this tendency as an issue is not to suggest that portions of the debut would be better off bearing the hallmarks of a fully-fledged band - nor is it to say, necessarily, that the pair must indulge in too radical an evolution to amend the misstep. Rather, mere minor tweaks or detours might have sufficed in this instance, serving to break the mold while retaining the best aspects the album has to offer.

Of course, one major upshot of the album’s aesthetic is that the intimate lyrical prowess in play goes unobstructed. The duo showcase their deftly evocative song-craft from beginning to end, ensuring depth beyond the album’s thin instrumentation. The first single "Chair" sees Alice Costelloe exude an arresting vulnerability, the songstress trapped in a lustful conundrum. “Don’t you want to have that morning again? I want to be your lover - I’m trying hard to be your friend,” she confesses atop the pair’s grunge-pop aesthetic. Meanwhile, "Cool Like Kurt" offers its own disarming sentiments. “Take me to your bed, don’t take me home. I want to be old, I want to be older,” Costelloe pleads, an affecting calm in her delivery.

Lights Out generally focuses upon one-on-one dilemmas and does so with expert analysis. "Homework" milks a heart-wrenching dissection of a adolescent drama and "Talk" effectively illustrates the stalemate of a communication breakdown. "All I want to do is talk, but seeing you fucks me up," Costelloe laments with partner-in-rhyme Underwood.

This release is certainly one for fans of An Horse, Big Scary and even acts with lo-fi inclinations. More to the point, however, any music-enthusiast concerned with the honest connection between fan and song should discover a wealth of value in Big Deal’s debut. Their endearing and accessible navigation through thick emotional turbulence is the first and foremost attraction of the release, the duo bound to melt more than a few hearts with their song-craft. If you can get past the fact that their allure comes packaged with an astonishingly academic instrumental approach, then that’s a bonus.

All in all, Lights Out survives minor quibbles to emerge a uniquely enjoyable release, well-placed to attract attention from indie-hipster outlets throughout 2012.

Review Score: 8.3 out of 10

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Lights Out is in Australian stores January 20th.