For as long as this holds true, Switches should have absolutely no problems finding fans.

Their debut album Heart Tuned to D.E.A.D is twelve tracks of big dumb pop with more hooks than your average cloakroom. The stomping Drama Queen opens proceedings and pretty much sets the tone for the rest of the album - all harmonies, handclaps and "woo-hoos". Lay down the Law rides in on a guitar riff and disco drumbeat that wouldn't have been out of place on the last Franz Ferdinand album before delivering an anthemic chorus that seems to have been specifically designed with summer festival crowds in mind.

Guitar playing front man Matt Bishop is an unashamed musical magpie and about five tracks in, it becomes apparent that listening to a Switches record is the musical equivalent of watching the film Vanilla Sky and trying to spot the references to pop culture. There are nods to Queen, T-Rex, Weezer, Cheap Trick, David Bowie and even Joan Jett. If imitation truly is the sincerest form of flattery, there are going to be a lot of blushing pop stars out there.

Luckily, Switches manage to imbue the songs with enough of their own personality to avoid coming across as any kind of tribute act and the likes of The Need to Be Needed, Lovin' It and Message from Yuz are fine songs that will surely be garnering more than their share of radio play in the near future.

In particular, the latter with its "Rip out your heart and give it to me" refrain is a highlight of the LP. Brimming with youthful exuberance and enthusiasm, Heart Tuned to D.E.A.D is an album that is completely out of step with current musical trends and sounds all the better for it. www.myspace.com/weareswitches