Magic Kids – Memphis

Magic Kids are yet another Beach Boys influenced act making waves right now, by serving up a diet of sun, surf and nostalgia. The Tennessee six-piece might lack the West Coast sunshine, but it doesn't detract from the ultra-twee vintage pop which Memphis peddles like bags of beachside candy floss.

The album opens with a brief flurry of strings, before sliding into Phone; a cute, lovestruck flashback to mid-'60s pop, which resembles Herman's Hermits' 1965 hit I'm Into Something Good, almost to the point of blatant plagiarism. Next they serve up Candy, another mid-tempo, bob-along ditty, with a saccharine hook ('there's no candy sweeter than my baby'; in case you're wondering). And so on.

If the songs, or even the album, were just a bit longer, listening to Memphis might feel like overdosing on sugar, but as it is they're cleverly crafted pop homages which charm the listener just the right amount. [Martin Skivington]