It doesn’t seem so long ago that Muscles was first being pushed by FBi, but now he’s been picked up by Modular and the label has allegedly promised him that he’ll outsell Wolfmother. And on the back of the success of the singles Ice Cream and One Inch Badge Pin, his debut full-length album is in with a shot. He’s definitely got the whole ‘hip to be geeky’ thing well and truly nailed. His songs come coated in layers of cheese, and he makes no apologies for this. The result is an album that is immensely and indeed infectiously enjoyable. His trademark vocal imitation of a siren is initially bloody annoying, but you always end up singing along. And beneath the distinct vocals is incredibly well crafted electro pop. My Friend Richard is irresistible Italo-tinged synth pop while Futurekidz is Muscles’ take on a vocal, almost trance-like, epic. And guess what? Like much of his stuff, it works even though it probably shouldn’t. The fact is this kid has become an essential part of the music scene over east, and his sound is fresh and fun. You can’t really ask for more than that.
