If New-Wave/Old-Wavers Nouvelle Vague joined forces with the Avalanches, surely the only result would be both psychedelic and sexy. Or, it could sound like the new album from the Soundcarriers who hail from Nottingham. Yes that’s right Nottingham. Lyrical ease is personified under female angelic harmonies and male devilishly cool vocals, especially in ‘Uncertainty’ where voices slide into loose rhythms in a carefree setting of saxophone and flutes. Despite the Midlands being nowhere near a beach, some of the Soundcarriers tracks like ‘Calling Me Reprise’ simply breathe surf-music, the type from the soundtrack of any 70s surf-flick. Other songs however possess a Booker T ‘Green Onions’ feel that wouldn’t be out of place on a ‘Music to Watch Girls Go By’ compilation. The album acts as a master class of how to mix drums, electronica, organs and anything that makes funk happen, but even though it’s full of Mediterranean confidence it avoids sounding like a generic Fiat advert, making it the best record from the Midlands since sliced baguette.

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