Taking their cues as one might expect, from New Zealand's Flying Nun Records' eclectic roster as well as fellow Australians The Go-Betweens, Melbourne's Twerps do little in the way to subvert the stereotypical Aussie sound, instead they perpetuate the kind of sun-kissed jangle-pop that smacks of lost loves and stoned summers. Their harshest critics will call it derivative but, if it aint broke...

Range Anxiety, the band's second long-player, might not be breaking any boundaries, but it is a woozy, doey-eyed meander through the head and heart of singer Martin Frawley, filled with lush guitar hooks and rich vocal dualities, brought about with the inclusion of guitarist and singer Julia MacFarlane; her sugary delivery the perfect countenance to Frawley's nasal drawl; the syrupy duality bringing the mundane narratives recounted in the lyrics to life.

With little in the way of melodrama, Range Anxiety is wistfully nostalgic and endearingly plain-spoken. Such is the Aussie way. Album opener (or at least the first song proper) 'I Don't Mind' is a hazy, almost listless track, that bubbles with ironic indifference, churning over stoic sentiments with an apparent ambivalence that all comes to a frothy head during the track's climax. Swiftly following, 'Back to You' sets a pace which doesn't relent until the halfway point and previous single 'Shoulders'.

Bringing to mind Veronica Falls 'Shoulders' is the record's first real foray in to twee-pop and sees MacFarlane taking vocal duties for the second time. The steadily mounting percussion and waltz-like, chilly shimmer of the guitar providing a welcome relent from the rest of the record's heady heat.

It's not always up to MacFarlane to bring about the softer elements of the album however, as proven on 'Fern Murderers'. Coming in the final quarter, this is the first real instance of the undercurrent of darkness that occasionally rears its head truly permeates the record's otherwise sunny disposition. At a little over two minutes long, it's short, but it's proof that there's probably a lot more to Twerps than other tracks suggest.

Chances are you've heard several records like Range Anxiety before, you might even own some of them. If you do, then you'll almost definitely want to pick it up if you haven't already. It's not derivative, it's familiar, welcoming even. When Julia MacFarlane's Aussie accent cuts through the sugaryness of 'Stranger', you know you're in safe territory. Who says you have to be different to be good these days?

Range Anxiety is available from amazon & iTunes.

Whilst we might still be in the icy throes of Winter, Brighton-based Phantom Runners are basking in the self-serving sunshine they've crafted themselves with their free download, 'Laserbeam'. It may feel somewhat premature, but the warm haze perpetuated by the track (and indeed the band and their self-coined 'Feel Good' sound) is difficult to ignore, despite being as laid back and as understated as it is. 

“We wanted a track that kind of felt like you were in another realm. Like a lucid façade of colours with an imaginary girl.” ambitious and somewhat psychedelic the band's description may be but the reality is that 'Laserbeam' really does manage to uphold elements of the transcendental, and whilst it may not possess the aspects of otherworldliness that are suggested above, it certainly manages to transport listeners away from the grey monotony of a British winter, dropping them in a more exotic locale, no matter how briefly.

You can download 'Laserbeam' from the band's SoundCloud below.