It's a pretty bold move giving your new album the title Killer Sounds, sort of like naming a new single Top of the Charts or Platinum Seller. One won't begrudge Hard-Fi, though. After exploding on the scene in 2005 with their raucous 'Stars of CCTV' album, a lot was expected from their follow-up 'Once Upon A Time In The West', an album which ultimately failed to ignite an expectant public. This is why Killer Sounds is such an important album for the Staines group and that is evident on just about every track. It's produced to the gills, choc-a-bloc with samples and foot-tapping hooks.

'Killer Sounds' is glossily produced. Everything on the record is pristine, shiny and polished and a concerted effort to write memorable and catchy radio-friendly material has certainly been undertaken by Richard Archer and his group. It seems, though, a reliance on trying to find hit songs is what ultimately drags this album down. 'Killer Sounds'' efforts to fill the dance-floor are so obvious and pronounced that they often appear at the expense of coherence and fluidity - two traits that rarely appear on the album. There's lots of nod your head to on this album, just not that many "songs". Feels Good, and Good For Nothing are two of the high points on the record, but too often bogged down by the blandness of the likes of Bring It On and Fire In The House.

To be fair, 'Killer Sounds' is a worthy effort and streets ahead of 'Once Upon A Time In The West' but it's hard to imagine it having the same impact of 'Stars of CCTV'. The band are clearly attempting to redefine themselves on this record - and to a degree they've been successful - but all they seem to be doing is reminding their audience that they're no longer the band they once were.