Delphic - Acolyte

In case you missed the memo, Delphic are Manchester's latest dance-rock stars-in-waiting, tipped to bring rave culture back to the mainstream once again. The trouble with this kind of industry chatter is that the band in question rarely lives up to it. Recorded by Soma man Ewan Pearson amidst the Berlin electro scene, it's no surprise that their debut record sounds pristine and propulsive, and in Doubt - with its disembodied vocals, bracing guitars and euphoric chorus - they have a sure-fire hit. But if New Order, Delphic's patently obvious inspiration (read: sonically sparse, self-consciously arch crossover music), ever left you cold, this will give you hypothermia. Red Lights comes across like a more reserved Passion Pit, and on Counterpoint they reach White Lies levels of blandness. Which perhaps suggests that, despite the wishes of the major labels, the synths 'n' guitars shtick of 2009 has a sell-by date after all. [Nick Mitchell]