ALUNAGEORGE

St. Albans' AlunaGeorge make noise that's so catchy it hurts. Combining vocals à la Sharon Woolf on Sweet Like Chocolate with melodic hooks and syncopated rhythms, they come out with bright pop that's pretty much irresistible. By cherry picking the best bits of garage, R&B and pop, AlunaGeorge make music that sounds seriously fresh; it's deep enough to keep you coming back for repeated listens, while using that magic spark that pop has to instantly grab the ear.

AlunaGeorge by AlunaGeorge

Producer George Reid, formerly of Colour, maintains a great sound throughout their recordings. The songs themselves are pretty eclectic; ranging from the radio friendly Analyser to the far more difficult, progressive sound of Double Sixes. He has though managed to mould a sound which ties the whole thing together, keeping the emphasis on the bounce, and using plastic synths throughout that suit the vocals perfectly. Songs like the smooth, mid-tempo Body Music may trick you into thinking you know what to expect from the outset, but the textures used give everything a bright, complex sound that just keeps giving as you listen.

On vocals we have the lovely Aluna Francis, whose voice is distinctive yet familiar, harking back to the days when garage was king. Combined with the synths we get a sound that verges on artificial, yet comes straight from the vocal chords. This isn't a voice that brims with passion; as Aluna instead aims for a more conversational style of singing, using her voice to show character above all. This all adds to the charming, at times sickly-sweet sound, which I personally can't get enough of.

On Saturday AlunaGeorge were the opening band for the launch night of Lemonade, at the Nest in Dalston, and they were great. George and Aluna were joined by a drummer and bassist (of Colour and Tubelord respectively), and they fucking smashed it. On record, they're great. Everything sounds perfect, but live with a full band they're even better. Songs like You Know You Like It are transformed with the addition of live instruments, and the sound at the venue was spot on.

Aluna makes a great front-woman; stunning and talented, expressive and strong, and the band as a whole looked like they were genuinely into what they were doing. They communicated with the crowd, and got a great reception back. It's not often I go to see a band I haven't previously heard and enjoy it as much as this, so I seriously recommend you get down and see these guys ASAP. Failing that, their first single is out now, and next single You Know You Like It is out on the 22nd.