It's been quite a wait. Some twenty three years after their first single 'I'm Hardly Ever Wrong' caught the attention of legendary DJ John Peel, The Would Be's have finally got around to releasing their debut album. Beautiful Mess takes up exactly where they left off - timeless pop melodies with more than a hint of The Sundays and The Smiths.
If you are of a certain vintage, Beautiful Mess will instantly transport you back to golden nights at The Underground Bar in Dublin in the early nineties when the Would Be's looked and sounded like indie royalty in waiting. The expectation was that they were going to be huge and then it all went wrong. Now they are back, and Beautiful Mess should be more than enough to satisfy their most ardent fans. The title track makes for a great opener - brash and confident, it's the perfect pop song to announce their return.
'Some Other Planet' and 'Could Be the Weather' (where singer Julie McDonnell sounds curiously like Debbie Harry) are instant highlights - catchy, lean guitar pop songs that strike straight for the heart.
Despite a scattering of forgettable tunes, Beautiful Mess marks the re-emergence of The Would Be's after a lengthy slumber with their commitment to the ideal of perfect pop still intact. For that we can be grateful.
Review by Paul Page
