Although born in Ireland, Eoin Young has spent much of the last fifteen years living in Hungary. For his first outing as Villa R though, don't expect any East European influences. 'Songs From The Apex' is straight ahead breezy indie pop, aided by an assortment of talent from the Irish alternative scene.

More a songwriter than a singer, Young's vocals aren't particularly distinguished but his grasp of melody is superb. The easy influence to suggest would be New Order largely because 'Temptation' is covered here as a bizarre military electronic track but even shoegazing gets a mention for the half acoustic/half effects-saturated 'Memory & Passion'. Layers of indie guitars underpin the superb pop of 'Overred' and there will be few sunnier songs released this year than the jangly 'Full Sound'. Digging further into the record, the title track and 'Coloured Lines' are oddly arranged but reveal real inventiveness beneath the bubbly surface whilst 'Deadly Muses' and 'Read The Signs' opt for acoustic melancholia. This is a neatly produced album with ideas old and new but always interesting and highly tuneful.