The Fratellis, Eyes Wide, Tongue Tied - Album review

There are occasional moments of unalloyed pleasure on this, but frankly not near enough to persuade one that The Fratellis reunion was worthwhile. The main attractions are all front-loaded, with “Me And The Devil” opening with some gusto, using a striding piano-pop riff to carry a song about a girl determined to “sell this soul of mine”.

It’s okay, but there’s a sizeable whiff of forced jollity about it. The catchy, country-pop charm of “Imposters” is better, its chipper little guitar hook snagging one’s attentions for a song about duplicitous co-dependency: “You wear your mask, I’ll wear mine/They don’t come cheap but they fit just fine”.

But it’s downhill from there, the trio coasting on Jon Fratelli’s knack for a neat couplet and their magpie knowledge of pop, which extends to “Ghostbusters” on “Thief”, and most larcenously, “Come Together” on “Dogtown”.