This album was quite possibly the trickiest album to rank in my 2014 top 20 list… I knew that I wanted to include it in my top 20 after giving it repeated listens throughout the year I just wasn’t sure if it should crack the top 10 or not.

After giving a number of spins in November, I settled on it being #10. If you’re a fan of the Strokes or the Libertines - you’re in for a treat. These guys hail from Brooklyn and reportedly have a strong obsession for the Smiths. You can kinda hear that in a number of their songs too… One of the strangest things I’ve read about the band this year was that the sound was incredibly derivative.

I acknowledge that they sound like a number of other great pop bands, but that still doesn’t mean that this isn’t a great pop record. The album is filled with incredible/catch tracks that have made it incredibly rewarding to revisit again and again.

Recommended tracks

Every now and again, I'll hear about a band that proudly wears their musical influences on their sleeves. Drowners are a fine example of this... the name is reportedly take from the debut SUEDE single and their sound has a Johnny Marr (Smiths) feel to it.

They kinda remind me of the Strokes/the Vaccines/the Libertines... all bands that have released debut albums I instantly took a liking to.