Yahoo! Music Review

Released on 06/10/08
Label: Polydor

When The Killers first stumbled into view back at the start of the century, they were compared in some quarters to Shed Seven, those hardy Britpop B-listers fronted by Rick Witter. Oh how The Courteeners, then mere Manchester school children, must have laughed. "Call those leaden rockisms Shed Seven-esque? Just you wait 'til we get these pesky GCSEs out of the way…" Well fair play to The Courteeners, because they've got that Shed Seven sound bang on.

"That Kiss" never raises its pace beyond a steady chug, the straightforward guitars and straightforward vocal seemingly emanating from a bygone age, when indie wasn't a box you ticked on your gap year application, but a quick start career to rank alongside mini cab driving. The song has its moments - "That kiss, it lasted too long / And we probably shouldn't have danced to that song" is cute - and you can easily see a festival crowd waving flags along to this, but even The Courteeners can't escape their six out of ten destiny.

    by Ian Watson