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Formerly a covers band playing to families in the French Alps, The Feeling learnt their trade as musicians by playing The Kinks, Elton John and Bangles records. Instead of sitting in a garage writing songs about heartbreaks, drugs and rock 'n' roll, it's these classic songs that have influenced the upbeat 55 minutes of their debut album.
As strong drum beats open first track 'I Want You Now', you could expect a storming rock song, that is until Dan Gillespie's almost falsetto voice arrives and transports you into a happy, summery world. Setting a precedent for the rest of the album, this isn't indie but pop with guitars, full of uncomplicated toe-tapping catchy melodies which will wriggle their way into your conciousness and stay their for weeks.
While 'Fill My Little World' may have captured the imagination of radio programmers with its kindagarten-esque singsong chorus, it's third single 'Never Be Lonely' that sits way above the rest of the album as a stand out track. Seemingly written while reading a how to make a number 1 book, the midtempo verses build and build almost with a Kaiser-esque "woooooaaaah" before reaches a climatic uptempo stuttering chorus and of course that obligatory guitar solo. Long forgotten Semisonic and The New Radicals would be proud. Meanwhile 'Kettle's On' could easily be mistaken for Snow Patrol, if it weren't for it's striking piano chords which turn this tale of lost love into a rousing anthem. Embrace eat your heart out.
While the band might make a big deal about taking influences from Queen or The Beach Boys and being your ultimate guilty pleasure, they could be working too hard to project this image, after all despite the highs, nothing here really lives up to their influences. Catchy as the songs maybe, there's a sense that this is an album to listen to in 3 song sections rather than all the way through in one go. Yes, it'll be hard to rid your head of some of the hooks for days (Sewn's Danny boy…), but prepare yourself for other songs like 'Anyone' which'll have you reaching for the fast forward button within seconds.
