Alvvays @ The Kazimier, Liverpool, 21 October

Breathe in. Breathe out. Repeat. See? It’s easy, this respiration lark – if only everything were so simple. Still, every now and again you come across a band who make the noble art of pop music seem as free, natural and essential as those respiratory instincts. Just in case you hadn’t guessed where we were going with this, Toronto quintet Alvvays are one such delight.

On record, deceptively light numbers like Ones Who Love You float by on a rollicking sea of guitar fuzz, but tonight there’s a greater sense of space that breaks the surf; an openness that lifts the shoegazey fog and allows the gentle lilt of Molly Rankin’s voice to shine through. In its infinite wisdom, the sound desk seems to have applied a subtle electronic treatment to her endearing coos, jarring certain notes and feeling somewhat extraneous – part of this band’s appeal is the glaring noise of the band versus Rankin’s melodious vulnerability – but it’s a minor complaint. Besides, it’s difficult to do very much more than swoon as Alec O’Hanley’s plaintive jangle slices cleanly and beautifully through Adult Diversion’s sugary langour, ditto Kerri MacLellan’s breezy harmonies on the hopeful waltz of Dives.

You can pinpoint their influences at fifty paces: they’re indebted to the same Spectorian charm and Mary Chain roar as, say, Dum Dum Girls, albeit with a healthy injection of John Hughes movie soundtracks. What sets Alvvays apart is their way with a killer tune, as proven by standout closer Archie, Marry Me. When hooks are this effortless, there’s nothing to do but exhale in awe.