The 'Forever Lost' hitmakers return after four years with the same panache for boy/girl harmonies and a new emphasis on atmospherics and orchestration. The songwriting itself sometimes leaves a little to be desired, but 'The Runaway' is very easy on the ears.

After blasting onto the indie pop scene back in 2005 with hit debut single, Forever Lost, the mediocre album that followed left many disappointed by The Magic Numbers, and though they continued to have modest success they certainly haven't scaled such heights since. Now, five years later, the double brother/sister outfit are on their third studio album. The Gannons and the Stodarts don't make the kind of upbeat summery folk-pop that their best known song might suggest, but disregard that expectation altogether, and though The Runaway is far from groundbreaking it is a pleasant enough listen at times.

It's clear the group's sound has evolved since the brief period when they were the buzz band of the day, mostly in terms of ambience, their once cutesy harmonies replaced with more airy, ethereal sounding tones. Produced with the help of Iceland's Valgeir Sigurdsson (Bjork, Múm), it's not surprising atmospherics take centre stage here. Restless River's acoustic guitar, three part harmonies and weeping violins are all soaked in gorgeous reverb, while opener The Pulse is filled out with twinkling percussion and striking strings.

Yet, on the other side of the coin, Romeo Stodart's lead vocals are whiney and nasal on several bland soft rock numbers, and he is outshined by his female counterparts at almost every turn. Things become increasingly tiresome in the second half as, apart from occasional retro vibes, each melody seems to more closely resemble the last. Still, they're definitely heading in the right direction. Finishing things off with a hidden orchestral track, it's nice to see The Magic Numbers have more than one trick up their sleeves.