Hype is a dangerous mistress. Some bands would kill to generate a bit of positive buzz before they’ve even released a note in anger, a flicker of esoteric whispering on the cool kids grapevine, suggesting they just might be worth keeping your ears open for.

Hype’s not always all she’s cracked up to be, though. Many of those same bands end up bemoaning the too much/too soon pressure placed on them by excitable bloggers and eager music critics looking for the next hip name to sell. If said band turns out to be shit, well, then we’ve all been had by the slippery little bitch.

St. Albans trio Friendly Fires are the latest British band tipped as potential indie darlings and future Brit Awards show stealers. They’ve been labelled by some as the newest  exponents of Nu-Rave (whatever that fuck that lame duck of a genre actually is) and sorta, kinda tread the same brightly-coloured road as bands like the Klaxons, mixing dance floor grooves with more straightforward, indie-pop sensibilities.

While originality may not be an easily distinguished flavour within this particular concoction, the band’s eponymous debut is a hooky, agreeable record that hits all the right notes and sounds slick in all the right places. The fact that some of these tracks will undoubtedly sound ace in da club will surely only hasten the band’s place in the modern consciousness of hip young groovsters.

Album opener - and first single - Jump In The Pool is the perfect introduction to the band. It begins with a choral synth before the arrival of a cracking drum beat that sounds like it’s emerging from beneath a bubble bath. It’s a superb pop song, full of shoegazing guitar atmospherics and big, laser-precise beats.

In The Hospital is next - a funky, sexy workout, with a groove-tinged guitar duelling with a crunchier indie riff - all held together by a splendidly lively bass backbone.

Singer Tom McFarlane, it must be said, has an unremarkable voice and one that you’ve certainly heard many times before. In fact, in this respect, comparisons to the Klaxons are again certainly merited. However, his vocals are never cloying and while, in truth, they don’t add a whole lot to the overall sound of the band, they suit the shiny, sleek production just fine.

Paris is another agreeable single, sounding epic enough to reel in the sing-along merchants while satisfying all pop cut yearnings with its tight beats and house hooks, while On Board is a winningly infectious choon swimming in squelchy rhythms and satisfying synthy swirls.

The rest of the album follows a similar theme, with each track sticking to a likeable DIY feel (the entire album was recorded by the band themselves on a laptop, with only Jump In The Pool receiving extra knob-twiddling by Bloc Party producer, Paul Epworth). This does mean the album becomes a little samey, however, with the sound never really evolving beyond the lo-fi, floor-filler territory.

It’s hardly a classic and it’s certainly not the dawn of a new era in British music (although, to be fair, that’s not been claimed). In fact, Friendly Fires may not even warrant a place yet on the cover of a magazine.

However, they’ve made an enjoyable first record that hints at future delights. The band are tight and clearly now how to lay down a tasty beat. Their simple pop leanings nicely cushion their dancefloor desires and leave a sweet, addictive taste in the mouth, without ever blowing you away. It’s a record that will always cause heads to nod whilst pumping away in the background, although how often you return to it with headphones is another matter.

Few things ever live up to their hype. Oasis’ Be Here Now didn’t. The fall of Saddam didn’t. The Cadbury’s Wispa revival didn’t. Friendly Fires shouldn’t be judged on any external pressures that may or may not be placed upon them. What they can be judged on is a solid, fun record that will push many of the right buttons for many of the right people. Everything else is just fluff.

Release date: 01/09/08
Artist website: www.myspace.com/friendlyfires
Label: XL Recordings

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