The Crayon Set – Lost Languages album review: An upbeat gem from Dublin band

They may have gone into the studio with the intention of paying homage to their American musical idols (or to sound like 'Tom Petty on LSD', in their own words), but there is a peculiar Irishness to The Crayon Set's style.

At times, the Dublin six-piece’s second album sounds like a softer-edge version of ‘90s bands like Whipping Boy or Turn, with a healthy smattering of twee indie in the mix.

Their dual girl/boy vocals work particularly well on the sunshine-dappled Down About It, while the glam touches on Attack and the REM-style jangle of Hand-Surfing tempers the downbeat melancholia of O'Connell Street, the only misstep on a generally upbeat album.

Fans of lo-fi indiepop with a tendency to swing from “wistful” to “zippy” in nanoseconds will find plenty to daydream along to here.

[ Thecrayonset.com ]

Download: Attack, Hand-Surfing