Being Triple J Unearthed winners, protégés of Go Betweens’ Robert Forster and the recipients of a fair amount of airplay lately, The John Steel Singers have quite a bit to live up to with the release of their debut album Tangalooma. Sure, their EP’s have been well received and their live performances attract positive reviews and good crowds, but getting your maiden record out there is the first proper test. Luckily for the listener, the band has passed the test with flying colours.

Apparently inspired by the Queensland resort of Tangalooma and produced by the aforementioned Robert Forster, the album is split equally between faster, upbeat pop songs and slower, meandering tracks. The faster songs will be familiar to fans, as they feature in live sets of the Brisbane sextet and some of them have also been previously released, while the slower lot are less punchy but work in their own shoegazing way. Although not every fan may appreciate the latter, the contradiction does not do the album any harm and creates a nice balance. Absolute standout tracks are current single "Overpass" and "The Masochist", songs that will linger in your head all day.

The John Steel Singers have definitely delivered the goods with their first full outing, creating a fun and intelligent album that should do very well this summer.

Review Score: 7/10