The Postelles are an English accent and a few cheeky lyrics away from being a full-fledged Arctic Monkeys knockoff, but unfortunately their debut lacks the complexity of a Monkeys tune. Instead, it’s pretty straight pop. The instrumentation is minimalist at best (though not at it’s best when it’s minimal), with the light guitar lines and virtually fill-free drums taking a backseat to the vocals.  

The album picks up a smidge on “Boy’s Best Friend,” a nicely structured song with the welcome introduction of backing harmonies. However, its novelty is short lived, as the following tracks show little variation on the vocal driven “hit you over the head with pop hooks” theme. This homogeneity leads to the album’s biggest problem: it’s forgettable. The songs are too similar, and for what it is, it’s simply not grabby enough; I couldn’t even pick out the single, but the Internet told me it’s the opener, “White Night.”  

The album feels like an EP rather than a full-length. It’s got some good ideas, but the execution isn’t fully thought out. There’s potential here, sure. But in the wake of so many emerging indie pop bands, it’s hard to know whether or not the Postelles will get a chance to come back swinging.