Return of the Living Dead, 4-3-3 Records ***

Limerick's Niall Quinn has spent quite some time on the "Where Are They Now?" fringes; first he was the singer in a band called The Cranberry Saw Us, but left that unit to make way for his replacement, Dolores O'Riordan. He then formed The Hitchers, a blast of a pop/punk band that is, perhaps, best known for their John Peel favourite, Strachan. The Hitchers split up more than 10 years ago, but when life wasn't getting in the way, Quinn and friends continued to write sparky, incisive pop/punk tunes. Strictly adhering to album producer Rene Van Der Zeer's motto of "don't bore us – get to the chorus", in a lean album (30 minutes-plus) there are even leaner songs, most of which zing, ping and sting where they're supposed to. Welcome back, matey! themetuneboy.com

Download: Horrible Songs, Pissing Away the Summer