"Critically acclaimed but criminally overlooked" is a fitting assessment of Eugene McGuinness's career since his excellent debut, 2007's mini-album The Early Learnings Of. Having honed his craft over playing guitar for Miles Kane, the young Londoner's third solo record is as accomplished as anything he's done. McGuinness combines the lyrical sharpness of Alex Turner with a fondness for dipping into his parents' record collection for inspiration. So Chroma ducks and dives between contemporary indie and classic 1960s-style crooner pop, with melodic twists that shouldn't quite work but usually do. The Crueller Kind is a harmony-led highlight. She Paints Houses and Immortals retain a Talking Heads sense of quirkiness, while the soft reverie of All in All exhibits McGuinness's talent for pace and song construction. Underdog? Not any more. eugenemcguinness.net
Download: The Crueller Kind, All in All