Little Xs For Eyes

S.A.D. Self-released****

Having spent four long years crafting the follow-up to their debut EP, the pressure is on Little Xs for Eyes to make a statement that rekindles curiosity. The Dublin six-piece have reshuffled their line-up since 2007, and the full-length introduction to their sound is all the better for it. Winsome harmonies rest comfortably astride some genuinely swoonsome folk-pop melodies, while the girl/boy vocal interplay of songwriters Benny Reilly and Davey Moor sounds natural at every juncture. Camera Obscura and The Concretes are the most obvious touchstones, but the colourful bumble of Gone Gone Goneand the authentic rock'n'roll balladry of Your Ex-Girlfriendhint at more oblique influences. A cosy blanket of sounds for all seasons, but one that's an especially apt soundtrack for bleary-windowed days. See breakingtunes.com/ littlexsforeyes

Download tracks: Gone Gone Gone, Somewhere with a Dance Floor