Copy Haho – Copy Haho

Having served time on the Scottish circuit for the better part of a decade, the debut album from Stonehaven’s Copy Haho is a long-awaited, suitably anticipated affair. For those familiar with the four-piece, this self-titled release will hardly surprise; energetic and brimming with enthusiasm from the start, the quartet kick off with the flirtatious Factory Floor, running with their influences held high. Think a lot of Pavement, a little Sonic Youth – essentially anything alternative, Nineties and American.

The pace relents briefly for the rare balladry of A Winter On The Run and the unexpected melancholy of When It Gets Dark, before ramping back up for the finale: a slow building, frantically ending Accent Changed. It ends an album which is exuberant, imbibed with humour and brimming with promise. Copy Haho still have some way to go before they match their heroes, but this is a fine first foot. [Paul Neeson]