Lost in the musical wilderness for three years, consigned to the folder marked 'Britpop has-beens' and consequently virtually forgotten about, Embrace returned in 2003 with the aptly-titled Out of Nothing. Armed with the exhilarating, heartwarming indie rock ballads they specialised in - including the Chris Martin-penned hit Gravity - they exploded back onto the scene at just the right time, galloping along the furrow that bands like Coldplay had earlier ploughed and selling 600,000 records in the process. This New Day is, in many ways, an extension of its predecessor; an album laden with anthemic, uplifting indie songs and poignant ballads, but this time, with none of the gutsy uncertainty that gave much of Out Of Nothing its edge. Instead there's a self-confidence and optimism about TND, clearly noted in its lyrical content, with pearls of wisdom such as 'Your day is gonna come' etc. Tracks could easily be separated into two columns: 'Anthems' (Celebrate, You Will Hit The Target Every Time, The End Is Near, all markedly similar to hit single Ashes) and 'Epic Piano-led Ballads' (I Can't Come Down, Nature's Law, This New Day, all markedly similar to Gravity or A Glorious Day), all of which certainly get the foot tapping and the the heart bleeding, but which ultimately make for unexciting, uninspiring listening. Perhaps it's the different approach to writing that they've taken - it's now a group effort instead of a Brothers McNamara solo endeavour; or perhaps they feel that because of their previous success, they've nothing left to prove with what is their fifth album. They do come close to straying from the course on several occasions (subtle hints of Duran Duran on Sainted or Simple Minds/INXS on Even Smaller Stones) but the fact remains that Embrace struck gold and are understandably loathe to deviate from what is clearly a winning formula. As a result, they move neither forward nor backwards, but disappointingly stay anchored in their comfortable little indie world. No surprises then, from This New Day; an album that warrants more of a firm handshake than a warm Embrace.

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