Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin – Fly By Wire

With their moniker’s flippancy presumably lost in translation, glibly christened indie-poppers Someone Still Love You Boris Yeltsin were recently invited to Russia by the Boris Yeltsin Foundation (the former President too dead to offer his gratitude personally). Gifted expensive vodka and made US cultural ambassadors, the band returned stateside with a spring in their step, and fourth album Fly by Wire is the produce of their topped-up enthusiasm.

It sees the Missouri trio on reliably hook-filled form (Young Presidents is a particularly deft slice of footloose guitar pop) but overall their self-stated artistic rejuvenation shows through only lightly – in single Nightwater Girlfriend’s crunchy chorus, perhaps, or the lush vocal layers of Unearth. Otherwise, this is a strangely uninvolving listen, from listless (and inexplicably titled) opener Harrison Ford to the frothily inconsequential Lucky Young. It’s never so dull as to deter another listen, but they’ll have to work harder to inspire sustained affection. [Chris Buckle]