I feel like it’s been a while since I heard the name Adam Kesher. They were one of those new bands that sprung up during the height of 2008 nu-rave elctro-pop fever, but never really broke through. I didn’t even think they were still going. But here they are, back with second album Challenging Nature, and leaving me somewhat excited to see where they’ve taken the new material.

Adam Kesher are from Bordeaux, and are in fact a four piece. They take their name from the lost and bemused director in David Lynch’s 2001 flick Mulholland Drive.

In a way, this is my problem with Challenging Nature. It feels like a snapshot from three, four, five years ago. Like a dusty VHS, scratched DVD or sticker smudged CD, pulled from the pile and played while reminiscing over lost memories of the summer it was first spun, except there’s something missing. Instead of nostalgia, Adam Kesher’s latest efforts just feel a little dated, a rehash of former glories.

‘Julien, Julie’ is The Teenagers at their most melodic, ‘Gravy Train’ takes the fun of Datarock and multiplies it, and ‘Kiss Me Kinski’ even has a touch of Supersystem to it. But it’s all missing an original spark that begs you to listen closely and treasure for years to come.

The production is slick and each track swirls across the headphones with delicate promise. At times the lyrics stray to cheese, but the slight lick of a French accent gives them enough charm to cheat it away.

Cut Copy, Midnight Juggernauts and even a little Klaxons can all be heard shining their influence on Challenging Nature, but where said bands have also returned with new material, their craft feels like it has evolved. Adam Kesher sound like a throwback before we’re ready for the revival.