Reverend and the Makers

Ho ho, Mr Jon McClure, we see what you did there. Very clever. In naming your album after your Twitter handle, you now share the company of, among others, Soulja Boy. Congratulations.

The latest album from the Makers (which we’re just going to refer to as @ from now on for ease of clarity) is a lightweight piece of club-ready English pop. But seriously, don’t let that put you off – it’s well-made, cleverly produced, and unusually for an act of this nature, just the right length. It knows it’s only got a short time before the buzzy synths start to grate, so it packs itself into 10 compact tunes and then gets out of the way. Raucous cuts like Bassline and Depthcharge set the tone nicely, and The Wrestler is a surprising detour that gives what could have been a one-note record some much-needed depth.

This isn’t going to appear on many people’s top 10 lists but it’s a solid enough record – and if you’re looking for some lightweight party music, then @ is a great place to start. For further information visit

www.iamreverend.com

Rob Boffard