Cassia release debut album Replica on Distiller Records, to a collective sigh of relief within the world of indie. Or perhaps it’s more a sigh of happiness, for the world in which the Manchester band operate has been absent of a pure sun-kissed, joyous record for a while.

In the opening two songs, Cassia do what Cassia do best. ‘Small Spaces’ appeals to the early Vampire Weekend fan in us all; that irresistible preppy indie-pop that seems to cleanse the soul. On ‘Sink’, the boys drop a track that trickles feelings of fondness. Teasing guitars and drums that have a tropical quality, the chorus ‘I wanna know what you know’ is a line not easy to forget.

‘Movers and Shapers’ reaches out to other sounds of an artist gone by. Rippling drums and the collective vocals across the chorus reflect a sound akin to Paul Simon; demonstrating how comfortable Cassia are in the niche they have carved out for themselves.

With that, the band use this record to show the effectiveness of minimal changes in their sound. ‘Under The Sun’ is a track laden with acoustic guitar and a hint of keys. This slight deviation from trademark Cassia is refreshing, and it comes again on ‘Loosen Up’. Here, the guitar riffs have an amazing sound, almost like a glass filling up. The drums are brought forward to take a seat in the front row, while the gentle swing throughout the whole song gives a 50s dancehall quality. Similarly lovely fuzziness is found on ‘DreamA’, where “oohs” and “ahhs” and faded vocals come on a song that brings the album to a close in a dreamy haze. That is flipped on its head with ‘Guidance’ as the guitars here are Cassia at their fiercest; real punchy and smacking full of energy.

‘100 Times Over’ is Cassia’s best known track and it feels like it has undergone a facelift. With a slightly different drum intro, it is song of pop perfection. The chilled vibe on this number has such a heartwarming air to it. This is a song where Cassia have nailed it. Listening to this track feels like the world is put on standby, with no thoughts of worry, just happiness for that very moment. Title track ‘Replica’ is the tightest track on the album. It is Cassia gift wrapped and sprayed with perfume: the spell-binding harmony between cute guitar licks and rolling drums is the perfect relationship.

It may be easy to dismiss Cassia as a band not equipped with the sharpest lyrics out there, however this theory is given the boot on ‘Out Of Her Mind’, where maturity breathes through the words “wrapped around her honesty lies an infidelity”.

Upon listening to this record, it is hard to find much wrong with it. It is a record that serves an exact purpose: to make fans smile and with that smile, say a big ‘fuck you’ to the grey days and everyday monotonous codswallop.

The only shortfall of this album is perhaps the similarity between each song. Whilst they are tasty morsels in their own right, their collective identity as a body of work is lost as each track bleeds into another. This is a brilliant debut, but we may be more expectant of the band’s explorative nature once they grow and develop their sound further.

For the time being, this is the happiest seat in the house. Pull up a pew, Cassia are throwing a party.

Replica is out now via Distiller Records.