Ballet School - Cherish

Berlin’s Ballet School are often/always lumped in with the ‘80s, almost as if their members were extras in ‘The Breakfast Club’ that sneaked off set midway through filming and have to pay their comeuppance. Their sound - a mix of The Cure, Cyndi Lauper, The Smiths - welcomes in these comparisons, but ‘Cherish’ offers something new. Besides, it’s scientifically proven that nobody in the ‘80s could reach the notes vocalist Rosie Blair seems to glide over in this preview of a debut album.

‘Cherish’ has this strange ability to reach another level just when it sounds on the brink of toppling. A chorus isn’t enough - they have to go higher, further into the great beyond. If some of their music eases back towards previous decades, the rest of it flings forward into the future.