It comes as no surprise, once you've absorbed Cowboy X's debut in its entirety, to hear that two of its members, John Hanley (drums) and David Grealy (guitar) have both been involved in writing and producing soundtrack music. There's a dactylic refinement coating Who Are These People? that ensures much of its content would provide a suitable accompaniment to an epic mobster gun battle or kooky arthouse chase scene. Add in that special ingredient, aka Karen McCartney - femme fatale, enigmatic frontwoman and assured vocalist all rolled into one - and you've got a band that are definite contenders, never mind coulda-beens. From the opening swampy grunge of Gabbi, a driving, sophisticated Garbage-esque implosion, to the slick 80s electro-riffage of the title track, Who Are These People? is both eerily apocalyptic and comfortingly sensual, not least because of McCartney's nasal thrum. Having built a huge and globally expansive fanbase through the wonder that is MySpace, Cowboy X have seen their twisted, dark indie-pop compared to the likes of chic Canadians Metric, an equation best observed on the opaque Smaller Faster Cheaper Better; yet to cheapen their sound by drawing lazy parallels is ultimately a disservice to them. The point is, Cowboy X is one of those delightful discoveries - an Irish band that sounds too sophisticated to be Irish. Second single Between the Hit and the Miss is a swirling, bass-heavy number that starts off in monochrome before bursting into a technicolour chorus; Shot Down has something of the classic late-80s British indie sound about it, while 2nd Second's airtight construction and Do Not Pass Go's soaring accelaration are both surely aspirants for a Match of the Day montage soundtrack. Cowboy X may be named after a Sesame Street character, but there's a maturity and certitude about this exciting debut that's anything but flippant. If you don't know who these people are yet, it's about time you learned.