Cha-Cha - We Are... (Pop Noodle Records)

Steph Cosway | Sunday, 09 May 2010

Cha-Cha are one of those new young scallywag bands who are out to take over the world. Well, if their debut album We Are... is anything to go by then the world had better watch its back. Young, fresh and damn right funky, this album is set to be one of the best releases of the year.

First single 'Phonographic Love', a tale of one girl's obsession with a past pop star, is an intriguing morph of indie and pop stapled together to make an utterly addictive dance tune. It is one of those songs that just begs to be danced to and with the singer mockingly slurring "you know you wanna move," even the most stubborn of bores would find it hard to resist.

Then you get 'Sit You Down', which has some very interesting side-effects. Yes, this song causes 'headtapisitius'; it's impossible to listen to this track without embarking on your best impression of the Churchill dog. Not that this is a bad thing – just a bit embarrassing on the bus.

Second single 'The Fellowship', which thankfully has nothing to do with hairy-footed nimwits chasing a ring, is hands (or hairy feet) down the most spectacular song on this album. Clever lyrics matched with pop wonderment really make for a match made in heaven. You can't be in a bad mood after hearing 'The Fellowship' - it's like a cupcake songified.

'Juicy Lucy' is the track to hear live, such so you can sing "woah woah uh huh" with the stranger beside you before linking arms and dancing the night away. 'Second Chances' is all strong lyrics and catchy pop at its strongest.

For a dance-beat album, listening to 'Bring You Down' is a bit of a shock to the system. Stripped back acoustic wonderment, it's 90 seconds of sheer delight. Close your eyes and it will whisk you away to a summer BBQ on the beach with a cold beer in your hand.

Everything about this album makes you want to boogie; t is a 10-track onslaught of brilliant tunes, each a greater punch of brilliance than the last. Perfect for summer.

Rating: 5/5