Dubliners Gary Harding and James McGuire have been applying their collective trade as Darling for just over two years, yet have improved in certifiable leaps and bounds since their early EPs Echoes and It's Just One Look.

Last year the pair started working with Kodaline/The Script producer Philip Magee, so the groundwork was clearly set for music that refused to shun accessibility. And so it proves – this self-titled debut may be blush-free in its commercial reach, but what makes it so effortlessly enjoyable is how Harding and McGuire fuse classic ’80s/’90s indie rock with spiralling pop sensibilities that dig their hooks into you and don’t shift.

Such brazen highlights include Bright Light Switch, Walk Away, You stole the words from my Mouth, Everybody's sorry Now, and It's Only Love. Impressive? Very. darlingmusic.ie