Hailing from Sheffield, the northern England town that spawned the Human League, Pulp, and Def Leppard, in 2006 the Long Blondes became the latest additions to a roster of newly minted British talent that included the Arctic Monkeys and Franz Ferdinand. Their debut full-length is a catchy mix of pop and punk--both U.K. and U.S. varieties--and a fascinating display of the band's wide-ranging influences. "Lust in the Movies" marries a breathless Ramones-like pace to the artless girlie vocals of the Raincoats, "Once and Never Again" conjures the spirit of the dear departed Undertones, and "Madame Ray" and "Knife for the Girls" both recall early Siouxsie & the Banshees. The sum total is a headlong euphoric rush that's topped off with knowing, incisive lyrics and an expansive musical imagination that suggests there's much more where this came from.
The next chapter in the band's idiosyncratic musical heritage: they combine the suburban disco fantasies of the Human League and the seedy glamour of Pulp.