De Rosa are Martin John Henry (vocals/guitar); James Woodside (bass); Neil Woodside (drums) and Ross Stewart (guitar/keyboards/violin) and they formed in the early 2000's at Glasgow's School Of Art. They signed in 2004 to Lanarkshire label Gargleblast (run by Andy Miller, producer of Sons And Daughters, My Latest Novel, Scout Niblett and The Delgados amongst others) and it was following the release of their debut single ('Camera'/'All Saints Day') in July '04 that heads first started to turn. Encouraged by the support of John Peel, Steve Lamacq and the like, De Rosa locked themselves away in Hamilton's Chem19 Studios with Andy Miller for the best part of 2005 - the use of Chemikal Underground's studio was to prove auspicious when, upon the album's completion, the Glasgow label rushed to license Mend. The album itself is an astonishingly assured debut that flits effortlessly between thundering feedback, abstract rhythmic phrasings and the straightforward approach of traditional folk, all shot through with a lyrical narrative that is both honest and inventive. Tight, visceral sounding like Joy Division and Gang Of Four, and indeed influenced by the rangy punk and post-punk aggression of Sonic Youth, Stooges, Shellac and Television.