Over the last year, the whisper surrounding this Dublin four-piece has slowly grown into a scream. The reason is simple - Hal's sugary, adrenalin-filled tunes make the Thrills look drab by comparison. Their sonic signatures - waltzing guitars, fuzzy hooks, Beach Boys harmonies - can wear thin when taken in large doses, and if they want to have a long career they'll have to change the formula before too long. But they also have huge strengths, most obviously the ability to write catchy, feelgood songs that sound for all the world like lost classics from the early 60s. This is an album packed with potential singles, and in Play the Hits they've already got the ideal title for a future compilation. For shiny, happy people everywhere, the perfect soundtrack to the summer has just arrived.

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