Evans The Death should be what we like in an indie pop band — pleasing female vocals, slightly dark, fond of making a racket and a spirit of independence. But, we have to say, there’s just something about this that doesn’t quite float our boat.

Evans The Death are a bit more Evans the Runny Nose. We feel mean being mean to them, but we can’t see where the mass appeal would be.

Much as we like indie pop, this doesn’t do much for us though they’d do well at Congleton pub The Church House’s Up The Country festival, an ultra-local indy festival for a devoted crowd. We read a review that mentioned the Mekons and X-Ray Spex as comparisons, clearly written by someone who had never heard either of these two seminal bands. The kind of reviewer who calls them “noiseniks” to avoid actually saying anything.

On the plus side, they have the spirit of early indie (though much of that early indie was distinctly average) and do a mean line in song titles. They’re certainly not bland. Opener Haunted Wheelchair is pleasantly noisy, while track two Suitcase Jimmy has a Beatles-esque riff and some nice guitar. The trouble is, it never really goes anywhere from that promising start; a lot of noise for little reward. Still: they’re on Fortuna POP, a cool label, and fans of very indie-sounding indie might go for this. Try No Imitations for loud, Hey Buddy! for melodic.