Album opener ‘Waking me up again’ is a haunting tale of woe and regret married with a light-hearted undercurrent that keeps the track above water. At times dipping into depression the Tenderfoot are not adverse to the negativity and mundanity of life but dwell little, quashing gloom with observational satire.  Forthcoming single ‘Cowbell Blues’ (laden with the shit clank of a cowbell) is an attempt at pop majesty, but instead falls pretty flat, a shifty character that will inevitably distort perception of the band.

From the laidback slide tones to the swirling keyboard fade ‘Still Holding My Stomach in’ oozes quality and displays the liquid groove capabilities of The Tenderfoot. “Ripping cones to the Rolling Stones” immediately strikes chords with student mentality and the delayed abjection of entering a world full of big business. The following garble about “paying dues” and “joining the union” is enough to repulse any graduate into the comfy womb of education. But like a rainy day Super Furry there’s a happy undercurrent that belies the tempo and bursts through each ditty.

‘Bugsy’s Lament’ is a shanty twinged Coralesque trip that happily saunters alongside the heavier latter part of the album. 'To know a Ceiling well' ushers in a little distortion and a thunderous beat (in the most relaxed Tenderfoot way), and when matched to enchanting harmonies it lifts the band and the listener onto glorious plateaus of squelchy noises and horns. Penultimate track 'The Last One-Two' further delves into riotous soundscapes but maintains the measured beauty slipping somewhere between Elbow’s best efforts and an anthemic Doves track. 'You Stopped Letting me Hold your Hand' caps off a promising debut with a jaunty Britpop affair not unsimilar to HMS fable era Shack.

The Tenderfoot have evidently produced a debut that’s both beautiful and charming in equal measures, something that’s becoming increasingly scarce in the 80’s obsessed Uk music scene, for this they should be cherished and applauded.