During summer 2008, drunk off my tits at Isle of Wight Festival, I came across a band of teen-somethings playing an impromptu acoustic set by the stalls in the arena. They were promoting their set ater that weekend in the Big Top. I was handed a CD full of indie-pop tracks, riddled with a blues vibe that harked back to the golden era of rock, before it was ruined by people like Bono. Anyway, I digress… The demos were quite rough, but showed potential, not often found in bands so young. Three years on and, finally, the music world is catching up. Birmingham-based five-piece The Arcadian Kicks release their new single ‘You Play The Girl‘ on 8th November.

The track is a mature take on the pressures of young love, accompanied by some menacing guitar-licks and a punchy, exuberant backbeat that matches the heavy subject matter. It’s not a moody one though: the singalong chorus provides a perfectly-timed change of pace and the solo is a moment of almost Strokes-esque squealing wonderment. The net result is something palatable and radio-friendly, without bearing the hallmarks, stigma or sheer fuck-off-annoyingness of pop, or even radio-friendly indie nonsense. The song is singable and danceable and (having been blown away by The Arcadian Kicks’ live show) I cannot wait to see how it translates to the stage.

A solid effort then? Well yes actually. Little wonder, then, that it has been receiving airplay on both sides of the pond and creating a mass of keyboard-mashing among the blogosphere. Their new effort feels like the end of a transitionary period – it’s polished, refined and an altogether more complete sound. The band have grown up. Expect big things.

BlagSound says – ★★★★

‘You Play The Girl‘ is out on 8th November and will be given as a free download to those who have liked their Facebook page.