Kill the Waves – The One That Could Have Been

Kill the Waves appear as though in the midst of an identity crisis on their debut album. The Glasgow six-piece ooze potential but could do with making their mind up as to precisely what they want to be – an electro synth-driven outfit or spacious post-rock dreamers. Over 11 tracks they do their level best to combine the two but with only fleetingly compelling results. Opener Oak lays out a sparse blueprint while Mine is the closest thing here to a pop song.

At the heart of the album sit Dead Wave, Vow and Plastic Face, rare occasions where the beats take a turn for the propulsive, though they're frustratingly reined in before the band finds its groove. The signs are nevertheless positive; with a bit of fine-tuning and time to develop. Kill the Waves could turn out to be a truly interesting endeavour, they're just yet to strike upon that winning formula. [Stu Lewis]