This duo seemed to spring out of nowhere with their debut album, but the fact that they're signed to Parisian indie label Le Son Qui Maquis might go some way to explaining their absenteeism on the local scene. That said, the duo are still Dublin-based, and this record was also recorded in the city - but instead of slogging it out in dingy venues on the Irish circuit, they decided to refine their craft and commit their findings to tape first.
They may take their name from a fashionable '80s synth/sequencer, but 202s are very much an 'of the moment' band. A solid group in the finest indie tradition, there are also understated elements of dance, soul and funk hidden between the cracks of these nine songs.
They claim Phil Spector, Primal Scream and Can as influences, so it's little wonder that they've already had parallels drawn with Brighton's eclectic purveyors of electro-kraut, Fujiya & Miyagi. Even still, the harmonica, glockenspiel and general jangle-pop air on the likes of the catchy 'Shoot You Down' and 'Who Cares About Sunshine?' can't be discounted in the shaping of their sonic route, nor can the kiddie version of Primal Scream's 'Loaded' ('Shine On') or the moody, Air-esque film score ambience of 'Pressure'.
This debut, like many others, projects its influences brazenly, but that's an entirely forgivable transgression - particularly considering that 202s could very well make a defining album in years to come.
