They may be the most hotly-tipped band to come out of Dublin for over a decade, but not even The Thrills' biggest fans could call them original. At times, in fact, their debut album sound scarily similar to a collection of Beach Boys demos with Neil Young on vocals - which, if you're going to have influences, is not exactly a bad blueprint to follow. It all comes gloriously together on the singles 'One Horse Town' and 'Big Sur', dreamy slices of shimmering West Coast pop with chiming steel guitars and gorgeous harmonies. Unfortunately, the rest of So Much For The City contains far too many pale facsimiles of the same formula, with the result that it lacks both variety and depth. The Thrills certainly look cool, and they may very well have a big future - but while this is a decent start, next time they need to show off their own personality a bit more.
