Album Review: The Fratellis - In Your Own Sweet Time

The swagger that Scots The Fratellis sported when they first burst onto the scene in 2006 with Costello Music was swiftly subdued with news that the three-piece were going on an indefinite hiatus after only their second album Here We Stand in 2008.

Did instantly likeable tunes such as Chelsea Dagger and Flathead from their debut cast a shadow over their follow-up and tarnish it with the accursed second-album syndrome? Or was it simply time for The Fratellis to try their hand at some solo projects? It's difficult to say, but the break clearly propelled the rockers into action when they did regroup, resulting in a flurry of album releases. Their latest, In Your Own Sweet Time, proves that it's taken just that for The Fratellis to pen their most enjoyable release since their debut.

While the footy-lad anthems have been somewhat tidied up into a cleaner, jangly sound, there's still plenty of the playful, boyish, '70s rock swagger that put them on the map. Opening single Stand Up Tragedy brims with Jon Fratelli's raspy pipes, fuzzy guitars and pop-rock attitude, Sugartown is laden with innuendo and I've Been Blind's downshift in pace then crashing chorus are highlights of a fun, accomplished, if not safe, return to form.