Album Review: Two Door Cinema Club - Beacon

Beacon is a suitable title for this new clutch of songs by dapper indie darlings Two Door Cinema Club. Sharp, light and bright guitar pop is what these guys are giving to the world, and right now there aren't many delivering it with more colourful fervour.

Lyrically, frontman Alex Trimble isn't changing the world. He's not actioning a call to arms, nor is he upping the education levels of listeners with his worldly views. He is talking about girls – all the time. Which is okay. After all, for good and bad, love makes the world go around. Trimble makes it work though, avoiding gooey clichés to seemingly script what it's like to be 20-something and still fumbling through the lessons taught on the streets and between the sheets. After just a few spins of Beacon another thing becomes obvious – the singles promoted on the subtle censorship sticker adorning the case (Sleep Alone and Sun) aren't the record's strongest tracks. Yes, they're catchy, but catchy isn't always class. It's when the Irish trio move away from the standard template and throw a few curveballs at the plate that the album really strikes you. The squealing guitar line of Sam Halliday that jumps in and out of Kevin Baird's fuzzed-out bass line on Someday is brilliant, while Pyramid balances a nimble bridge with the boldest riff-heavy, tub-thumbing chorus that the lads have ever written and stands as the highlight of the record.

The Irish trio's sound hasn't deviated too greatly from their first record, 2010's Tourist History. But when the relationship feels this good, why would you want to switch beds anyway?