Little Green Cars: Absolute Zero

They made the BBC Sound of 2013 shortlist on the strength of their stunning single The John Wayne , but can Little Green Cars justify our love over an entire album's length?

The answer is yes, yes, yes and yes. For five years this Dublin quintet have been percolating away on their sound and focusing on their vision. Their hard graft has paid off in spades – Absolute Zero is an absolute gem of a debut, a record so accomplished and accessible you wonder how they managed to stay under the radar until now.

Led by the vocals of Stevie Appleby and Faye O’Rourke, and with added vocal backup from bassist Donagh Seaver O’Leary, guitarist Adam O’Regan and drummer Dylan Lynch, They have a big collective voice with plenty to sayabout the naivety of youth, the terror of impending adulthood and the inevitability of death, along with a dash of social self-doubt and a decent helping of young lust.

The band's conquest began with The John Wayne , a thumping anthem for anyone who's been outdrawn in love. But they've clearly got more nuggets under their gunbelt. The album opens with the newest single, Harper Lee , an infectious tune that will send you skipping to the library for a copy of To Kill a Mockingbird .

The transatlantic influences abound: The Consequences of Not Sleeping wanders in a Laurel Canyon dreamscape, and Big Red Dragon is big and deep and wide. But just when you've nailed them as the love child of Arcade Fire and The Decemberists, they wrongfoot you at just the right time. Red and Blue uses vocorder to explore a very different soundscape, while The Kitchen Floor echoes the Gallic ambience of Air's All I Need – except this one's more All I Don't Need .

The last is one of three songs on which Faye O'Rourke handles lead vocals; her most striking contribution is on My Love Took Me Down to the River to Silence Me . It sounds like a gospel-tinged murder ballad, O'Rourke's voice given added power by the visceral lyrics. I've heard of getting dumped, but this one's a doozy.

On the lovely, lonesome closing Goodbye Blue Mond ay , Appleby begs, "And if you run out of space, please don't erase your time with me". He needn't worry. Make room for this album in your head – if this is the sound of Irish indie in 2013, then all is well with the world.

Download: Harper Lee, My Love Took Me Down to the River to Silence Me, Big Red Dragon, The John Wayne