Boy Kill Boy - Civilian
[Vertigo]

Past single 'Back Again' opens this debut album of thrusting, ebb and flow indie riffs that toss and turn betwixt the raw nature of The Strokes and the rhythm of Supergrass, creating a pathway for the strutting vocals of Chris Peck.

The haughtily cock-sure 'On And On' is the most pounding offering, utilizing punchy vocal swipes and racing guitars to create a driving feel that helps to get the album motoring. Matters take a bit of a dip towards the middle, as the East Londoner's try to maintain a tempo, but tracks like the dragging 'Six Minutes' that sees them catching The Subways bug and repeating the chorus as many times as possible, seemingly for want of anything else to include.

'Ivy Parker' is the band's best effort at a slow burning love-out, personally, on this evidence, I think they should' leave that to Snow Patrol. It is not long before Boy Kill Boy return to form and demonstrate why they have been picked to support Hard-fi in the past and to headline the NME New Bands tour, as the title track contains some pungent grit that lies underneath the prowling singing and bolstering guitars and keyboard element, while feeding from a brazen percussive trough.

The ascent back up from the above mentioned dip is completed in the Hard-Fi territory stomping 'Friday-Friday'. This has the most noticeable keyboard kick and is a provocative poser of a modern indie tune. As debut, 'Civil Sin' is a laudable effort, but you just get the impression that the creases in the middle could have been ironed out with a little care and attention from a band with undoubted potential.