Wonder Villains - Rocky (2014) Lossless

This Derry band have been around for several years, though there’s little sign the members are showing their ages – they started in school, and still look like they should be carrying textbooks rather than musical instruments. The words “zippy”, “zesty”, “fizzy” and “happy” could be used to shed light as to what we have here, but overuse of these would be missing the point. Instead, you really should pay heed to the tunes, which, with sprinklings of Casio-keyboard pop here and hints of a rucking Fight Like Apes there, slap your face, left, right and centre. Tracks such as 33, Linklater, Marshall and Zola (the latter inspired, apparently, by the Italian footballer and not the French writer) proudly boast the kind of ridiculously catchy pop/punk melodies you’d prefer not to have to have in your head all day but which you simply can’t avoid. Drat!