Second albums and their difficulties are well documented in the music world and they don’t come much more difficult than this. Four years ago The Sunshine Underground released the very promising  Raise The Alarm which was well received by critics and punters alike but just when it looked like they were destined for bigger and better things the disappeared. Much has changed in their absence in particular the New Rave scene which they were lazily pigeonholed into is effectively dead, so how does the album fair out?

Nobody’s Coming To Save You is spearheaded by their renowned fervor in a number of distinctive barnstormers full of synths, beats, swirling guitars and the familiar and opulent vocals of frontman Wellington with ‘Coming To Save You’ and ‘Spell It Out’. By the time the midway point is reached with ‘A Warning Sign’ it certainly feels like it has been worth the wait as the ferocity and intensity both musically and vocally appears to have no let up at all.

However as we enter into the final stages of the album things become less cohesive as suspicions that their heart and roots always lie in more traditional rock are confirmed with tracks  ‘The Messiah’, ‘Change Your Mind’ and ‘Any Minute Now’, all of which are heavy on the indie rock side of things. While they are delivered carefully and with all the confidence and attitude we have come to expect from the likes of Kasabian or Oasis something seems a little out-of-place as a result.

Nobody’s Coming To Save You has to be welcomed as it heralds the return of one of the most promising acts back into the fold. While it delivers a lot particularly vocally, it feels somewhat like an album that has been caught between two stools in an attempt to try and deliver some change, once that can be resolved they could potentially be firing on all cylinders. Roll on album number three, hopefully we won’t have to wait another four years.

Rating: 7/10