Voices Of Animals And Men has a confidence that is both winning and frustrating. The Young Knives have been together long enough to have a firm grasp of some sounds of their own, and their swirl of pop hooks and quirks is always tightly-knit, but this means that as a debut album, this is oddly one that finds a band already within their ‘comfort zone’. Buried in almost every song is a strand of melodic magic that is relied upon slightly too much. The repetitions rarely mean songs outstay their welcome, but neither do they ever help them transcend the milieu of ‘potential singles’ - all very well-written and always delivering on the promise of memorable choruses, resonating with either anthemic power or angular punch, but also with the sense that it might all become boring before long. ‘Mystic Energy’, which takes a leaf out of Morrissey’s book in Henry Dartnell’s meandering verse vocal performance, and then makes up for it with an explosive refrain, seems a case in point - initially a hummable highlight, but quickly filler for this writer, despite its string of (typically) smart lyrics.

‘Tremblings Of Trails’ is one the finest songs they have, always a standout on their Junky Music Make My Heart Beat Faster EP (contending with the stirring, now-forgotten, ‘Kramer Vs Kramer’ for me). It turns out to have about three ideas, but here is one instance in which the reined-in songwriting works, as this reflective album closer is far more than the sum of its parts. The same almost applies to ‘The Decision’, but the lyrics are the massive question mark that lifts it all up a notch: ‘The horses in the New Forest / Are running in their Sunday best’, and other such barmy yet loaded reflections - including that wonderfully sore-thumb ‘Prince Of Wales’ line.

Occasionally songs are bold enough in structure or arrangement that it seems the Knives are pushing themselves, such as in the furious exploration of boredom and ambition ‘Part Timer’, which opens proceedings with impressive thwunk and verve, or ‘Coastguard’, which falls away into an inspired tale of seaside woe spun by bassist ‘The House Of Lords’, speaking over this suddenly broken, dark gem in an effortless haunt that has a hint of Vincent Price.

‘She’s Attracted To’, a single that initially felt like The Young Knives veering dangerously close to formula, eventually emerges as part of the album’s strong hand with further listens. In the verses, the narrator’s rants over the propulsive bass wittily encapsulate the song’s angle on ‘meeting the parents’. And of course, this song boasts the best example so far of the Knives’ astonishing knack for a single-line soundbite to adore - the insistent, brilliant ‘You were screaming at your mum and I was punching your dad’.

It’s hard to imagine The Young Knives staying anyone’s favourite band for long on the basis of songs that tend to push all the right buttons but risk little, but Voices Of Animals And Men is an assured, worthy debut from a band with an already near-masterful pop instinct - albeit an instinct that they ought to challenge more.

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