From an album opening with the line ‘the day is wasted, if you’re not wasted’ you’d probably expect Pigeon Detectivese-sque boorish lad rock, but Liverpool funclub Wave Machines offer no such thing.
Specializing in fragile white-boy funk and shiny shiny melancholia, ‘Wave If You’re Really There’ recalls an uber-chilled Hot Chip, combining intellectual lyrics with disco beats to make irresistibly danceable songs with a heart.

The band wear masks on stage to remain elusive, but there is something hidden in their music too. Whilst the anthemic ‘I Go I Go I Go’ might sound incredibly chirpy on the surface, beneath its snappy beats and Golden Silvers style synths lie lyrics that tell of heartbreak and pain, as vocalist Tim Bruzon meekly coos lines like ‘tape up my soul before it falls apart’ and ‘cover me up cos the daylight burns my skin.’

Elsewhere ‘The Greatest Escape We Ever Made’ recalls The Pet Shop Boys’ gawky electro, whilst ‘Dead Houses’, penned by drummer Vidar Norheim, is a broken, mournful paean to Liverpool’s abandoned buildings. Tender and pensive, it’s a perfect end to a poignant record.

By Sophie Thomsett

7/10
Format: Album
Label: Neapolitan
www.myspace.com/mywavemachine