The Boyfriends - The Boyfriends

So what's it to be girls - the rugged rock 'n' roller or the poetic introvert? It's a question that's baffled the male species for decades, but after cringing through The Boyfriend's eponymous debut LP the former must win hands down. This spluttering ode to the elegiac musings of Morrissey takes mid-nineties urban romanticism and hacks away at it with a sledgehammer of tuneless warbling akin to Danny McNamara. Lyrically it's concisely sarcastic and both I Love You and Adult Acne are expertly executed with the same rhythmic nuances made prominent by Marr and Butler. But dismally dour tracks like Wonders Never Cease and British Summertime hark back to the beleaguered days of Britpop, where Northern Uproar and The Audience signalled its arduous death. So take heed ladies, this London quartet may be in touch with their emotions but they're far from perfect boyfriend material. [Billy Hamilton]