Eschewing the usual "indie guitar" noises, Blackbud have foraged further afield for inspiration with Jeff Buckley and 70s rock being their apparent influences. Their key element is clearly Joe Taylor; a singer, for once, who proves worthy of the Buckley comparisons. Unfortunately that means he also succumbs to emoting through songs; adding wordless moans in a bland attempt to cover up any shortfalls in the songwriting. It takes four songs for Blackbud to find their groove on the outstanding single 'Heartbeat', where the guitars find that elusive urgent riff and Taylor finally awakes from his slumber. Pleasingly, as the album progresses, it turns out 'Heartbeat' isn't a fluke after all. 'Steal Away' contains the required amount of controlled yearning, 'Alone' is an elegiac, acoustic-based number whilst the passion on 'Days Passing Away' is undeniable. Hopefully this trio can build on the promise and cut out the mumbling on their next offering.