The Pipettes - We Are The Pipettes

The slim-lined, nostalgia-friendly, skip-inducing strains of The Pipettes are enough to brighten any day on their own, but bonus points to the world: it’s Friday (at time of writing), the sun is shining, and good old indie-pop has struck a blow once again.

Getting off to a bit of a ropey start, as noises buzz, fizzle and the girls of The Pipettes quite literally introduce themselves on opener ‘We Are The Pipettes’, it’s like the moment when you awake, and aren’t really sure where you are. Soon enough, it forges in to a finger-clicking head-swaying hip-shaking fusion that rarely lets up throughout this debut album.

‘Dirty Mind’ is almost the epitome of The Pipettes: hot boys, hot girls, summery blurs and an insatiably singalong friendly tune. Whether there are actually any ‘la la la’s in ‘Pull Shapes’ or not there bloomin’ well should be - fuelled by handclaps, a solid drumbeat and tinkling dramatic electro, a tale about dancing that actually makes you want to get up and join in is a rare beast.

All great pop albums need a song with a girls’ name: ‘Tracy Jacks’, ‘Lola’, ‘Rene And Georgette Magritte With Their Dog’, and… er… ‘Lyla’. Well, OK, but you get the drift as ‘Judy’ (another one! - Ed) continues the delightfully retro feel of ‘We Are The Pipettes’ with aplomb.

The album does however stumble in places; ‘A Winter’s Sky’ offering a typically genteel Christmas lilt as the name may suggest, which somewhat lacks the prowess to become a classic, and an attempt at the slower-but-fuller submission ‘Tell Me What You Want’ lacks real bite and drifts by, only requesting a passing glimpse. Then there’s one of the few songs that changes your mind every listen - ‘ABC’, with its simplicity and breaks which veer between endearingly catchy and offering nothing new whatsoever - how picky your mood is at the time can sway your view completely.

Yet even The Searchers would be a bit jealous of ‘Because It’s Not Love (But It’s Still A Feeling)’, as it flows and glimmers with an exposed charm, before ‘One Night Stand’ is more jerking than an uncomfortable encounter in a club.

Their sincerity and origins may be questioned, but when it comes down to the bone, does it really matter? Creating melodies sweeter than the proverbial bee’s honey, and the ability to dispel any fears of even the mention of the words ‘hosepipe ban’, it’s official: summer is here, and it’s going to be fab.