Shuffle

Eoin Butler's guide to singles, downloads and free audiostreams

ALEXANDRA BURKE

Broke Heels Syco***

On the second single from her Overcome album, the former X Factor winner posits the laudable theory that there is no job a woman cannot do as well as a man. She also suggests that women operate more effectively when wearing broken heels, which is pretty bizarre and challenges everything I thought I knew about footwear.

ASH

Space Shot Atomic Heart Records***

Their latest releases may not set the pulses racing quite the way their early singles did, but the Downpatrick trio still deserve credit for never resting on their laurels. At a stage in their career where other bands would be settling into the status quo mode (endlessly recycling a tried and tested formula), Tim Wheeler et al continue to experiment. And it sounds like they’re having a ball.

TWO DOOR CINEMA CLUB

I Can Talk Kitsune****

Not a new release per se, but since Two Door Cinema Club’s name cropped up on just about everyone’s ones to watch lists, Shuffle decided to find out what all the fuss was about. I Can Talk is certainly an impressive calling card. The release of the debut album next month should tell us whether the Bangor trio have the chops to go the distance.

GIRL'S CAN'T CATCH

Echo Polydor**

Mindless, generic girl pop in the Sugababes/Saturdays mould. Girls Can’t Catch? Yes, but have they tried catching this unnamed object while wearing broken heels? I hear that’s all the rage these days.

LIGHTSPEED CHAMPION

Marlene Domino****

The man once voted the 49th coolest person on earth by the NME returns with a new album called Life Is Sweet, Nice to Meet You, due out next month. That chipper attitude is probably what cost Devonté Hynes a higher ranking on the Cool List. If he called the album Life Sucks, You're All a Bunch of Losershe'd no doubt have cracked the top 10.