In A Nutshell: One of 2005’s biggest new acts, Staines stars Hard-Fi are back with their eagerly anticipated follow up. First single Suburban Knights cracked radio playlists, they’ve opted for words rather than pictures for their artwork, and singer Richard’s mono-brow still looks like it’s about to attack innocent passers by. But can the music recreate the same success they enjoyed with Stars Of CCTV?

What’s It Like? It’s not as rockin’! Bands always seem to lose some of their fire once they become millionaire rock stars, but whilst the music might be mellower, Richard Archer hasn’t lost the knack for writing clever stories about everyday love and life. I Shall Overcome is a big widescreen love song, and Tonight is similar but not as good, whilst Can’t Get Along does get the party started with an old skool soul beat. Hard-Fi’s tricks and kicks are familiar now so whilst this album’s not got the shiny shock value of Stars Of CCTV, it’s still an exciting album that’ll leave fans satisfied.

Killer: I Shall Overcome, Can’t Get Along, We Need Love

Filler: Watch Me Fall Apart, Little Angel