The Needles - Summer Girls

Yet another guitar band who follow the NME formula for 'credible' punk-pop tunes; catchy opening guitar riff followed by heavy drums leading on to a rocky chorus, accompanied by wailing vocals. Taken from their forthcoming album 'In Search Of The Needles', the Aberdonian rockers' second single is a carefully crafted, marketable record. That said, it's fairly unoriginal and somewhat derivative. A good effort, but this is the kind of high-energy punk-rock that The Hives have been doing much better for years. [Suzanne Mitchell]