Lyrically, London’s Revere cover a topic rarely touched by their peers: with songs based around the nostalgic, the commemorative and the down right macabre, it’s no surprise that their official debut is a little hard to swallow. What does rock (or rather dismantle) the boat, is the style in which they’ve recorded Hey! Selim.

Named after a Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, the album opens with all the charm of a 1950’s Parisian street band. ‘Forgotten Names’ is the musical equivalent of film noir: strings, an accordion and looming bass subtly introduce the listener to a false sense of security. This could be no less representative of what is to come; following track ‘As the Radars Sleep’ sees frontman Stephen Ellis adopt the haunting and at times operatic vocals of Thom Yorke, but he applies them to a background which both resembles the same Parisian street band and a very average stadium act. ‘Contradictory’ is not a strong enough word: thudding percussion, bells, trumpets and an expansive atmosphere, paired with restrictive and hollow vocals make for an uncomfortable listen.

Unfortunately this problem mars the rest of the record: ‘The Escape Artist’ is the biggest disappointment – on paper this must have been a sure fire route to independent success, but in practice the theatrical quality to Ellis’ voice prevents the track from flourishing. Elsewhere “Throwing Stones” uses a production technique common to most major label signees – had it not, it could have been a classically understated ballad; ‘We Won’t Be Here Tomorrow’ has its moments and could dominate the radio waves with the right PR, but it’s ultimately without character and that special factor Revere so sorely lack.

Aspirations are clearly high, and with the right direction Revere may yet impress, but on Hey! Selim they fail to engage in the quality of sound their minds are capable of constructing. It’s as though their fingers aren’t working properly – they’ve found their path, but the stones underneath their feet are causing them to stumble into the wrong territory. Whether the future brings a reformation worthy of innovative celebration or dominating chart folly remains to be seen.