Alphastates have been hanging around the fringes of the Dublin indie scene for a long time (if you've never heard of them, it's probably because until recently they were called Babelfish). With the release of this excellent debut album, their time has finally come. Disdaining the acoustic introspection of most of their contemporaries, the youthful quartet specialise in a cool, brooding electronica that recalls such other sophisticated female-fronted acts as Dubstar and Saint Etienne. What really lingers in the memory, however, is the voice of singer Catherine Dowling - breathy, vulnerable and disarmingly sexy. Her oblique lyrics mean that you may not know what she's on about half the time, but one listen to those hushed tones should be enough to get every red-blooded male trembling at the knees. Given half a chance, this beguiling album will creep slowly under your skin and start to dominate your thoughts. Why not let it?

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