Chapel Club – Palace

On their debut, London-based five-piece Chapel Club offer up a remarkably accomplished take on the kind of stadium rock-meets-Joy Division sound familiar to fans of Interpol or The National. Like those acts, they specialise in an unabashedly heartfelt lyrical tone, and have an intuitive grasp of the emotive power that can be conjured by reverb-drenched guitars and an insistent rhythm section.

Although Palace offers little in the way of sonic innovation, it stands out for its intimacy and immediacy: qualities achieved, above all, by the clarity of the mixing. Chapel Club rejoice in the contrast of sparse, driving verses and choruses loaded with waves of swirling shoegaze guitars, but they never take the easy option of burying their songs beneath the crescendos; focus is always maintained. That bold, self-assured character ensures that, despite its nagging familiarity, Palace commands attention from start to finish. [Sam Wiseman]