Hothouse Flowers, 'Into Your Heart' (Rubyworks) Released 15/03/04

Unless you’re really old or boring, you probably hadn’t even noticed they were gone, but Hothouse Flowers are back with their first album in seven years. I for one was living comfortably in the firm believe that I might never have to hear them again, and I was happy with that situation. 'Into Your Heart' does nothing to alter this opinion: put simply, it’s an awful record.

You might expect that, after seven years in the making, some semblance of progress would be observable, but unless you view the first track sounding a bit like David Gray as the heralding of a bold new future, I’m afraid it’s dreary business as usual. Liam O’Maonlai’s mannered voice is particularly excruciating: pray that you never have to suffer the opening lines of 'Out of Nowhere' which have left me emotionally scarred.

This album smacks of a money making exercise for a band who long since gave up caring whether they were any good so long as the cash kept rolling in. The most depressing thing is that A&R men continue to open their chequebooks up to these men when great unsigned bands are spilling out of every two-bit town across the UK and Ireland currently.