Allusinlove is a weird name and the first part remarkably easy to misread as a bottom-related synonym, but they’re from Yorkshire, where they allus talk like that. They used to be called Allusondrugs, which after a misread would suggest imminent arrest at Bangkok airport. (This anus punnery was maybe funnier when we first wrote it).

Musically, this is their debut full-length album and it’s bursting with confidence. They’re a tight band who play well. The problem is it’s all over the shop.

We like genre-crossing bands as much as the next open-minded music fan (Do Me Bad Things are a perennial favourite) and should like this, but it lacks a central core.

Opener Full Circle is good, an indie rocker with heavy bass and sparkling guitar, with hints of U2. All My Love is stompier and takes the music to a rockier sound, then Lucky You changes the sound again, the guitar more swirling and the vocals further back in the mix. There’s a nice guitar solo in the middle, and the drummer earns his per diem. All three songs remind us of bands we can’t quite bring to mind. Stiltskin, maybe.

Sunset Yellow opens with bass guitar, vocals and feedback, and heads off towards Coldplay territory while All Good People is swampy and grungy. By Bad Girls they’re off into hair-rock territory; later in the album we thought of Smashing Pumpkins.

We dare say live they’re good, fans love them and individual tracks are full of confidence and energy; there are some good riffs and plenty of good ideas. It just needs a coherence running through it.

 

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