Another year, another trio of pale-faced youngsters reared on Joy Division. In that respect Desert Hearts are no different from many other bands but this Northern Irish trio work the guitar-bass-vocals formula better than most. Think of Ash without the tangible pop slant or JJ72 without the vocal histrionics. If a little too fond of the solo riffing as on '3:39', the guitar playing is top notch (especially on 'Florida Keys', 'This Is This' and 'No More Art') and is offset nicely by the lemon fresh vocals of both guitarist Charley Mooney and bassist Roisin Stewart. Breaking from the well-used template briefly they also extend their sound base to incorporate piano on 'A New End'. At just under 40 minutes in length it's a smart, no-nonsense debut that strikes a good balance between careful poise and chaos.