Everybody else is doing it so why can’t we? That was the cry from The Cranberries during those years when it seemed that everyone was forming a band – but there were plenty who proved quickly and clearly that they most certainly could not, despite record labels racing to give deals to anyone that knocked at their door in the mid 1990s. The same introductory phrase can be applied to what could be called the ‘Slumberland sound’, or C86 if you will. You know it well – indie-pop made by winsome boys and girls, fuzzy guitars, reverb, airy vocals, plenty of harmonies and hook-upon-hook. We’ve had Best Coast, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart and Brilliant Colors to name but three, and now Seattle’s Seapony are making their play with debut record Go With Me. Everybody else is doing it so why can’t Seapony?

The three-piece consisting of singer Jen Weidl, guitarist Danny Rowland and bassist Ian Brewer have recorded an album that stays true to the C86 sound and packs in 12 songs in 34 minutes, simple songs played over programmed drums that tell of love, requited and un, and carry an air of childlike wonder. However, for the most part it feels cut using a standard twee template, and thus fails to truly excite.

Things start promisingly with the driving jangle of ‘Dreaming’, it’s a great pop hit and catches Weidl daydreaming about her love. It’s hard to make out what she’s singing; the vocals are buried down in the mix and she’s also got a high – but flat – delivery that doesn’t stand out from the music. ‘I Never Would’ slows the tempo down and is pleasant enough but lacks a killer chorus or uplifting bridge to make it truly soar, and despite adding layers of fuzz and distortion ‘Blue Star’ suffers the same fate.

Things pick up with the insistent ‘Into the Sea’ and then probably the best track on the record, ‘I Really Do’. As well as having a killer hook, it comes with a country twang and the gentle whine of pedal steel. This could be the extra kick Weidl and co need, and is something to explore further on any future tracks. ‘Go Away’ is also an excellent song, but things go steadily downhill from the halfway point.

‘Always’ begins the second half of the record in turgid fashion, with ‘What You See’ meandering and ‘Nobody Knows’ once again lacks a bit of punch. However ‘So Low’ and ‘With You’ raise hopes by having a bit more about them, the latter being a particularly sweet song about being disarmed by love.

The problem with Seapony and Go With Me is that there’s nothing that makes it stand out from anything in the same genre. It lacks the weed-wisdom of Best Coast, the pure carefree fun of TPOBPAH or the noise of veterans Black Tambourine, so at times the album simply works as a bit of nice background music – and let’s be honest, we’ve got the radio if we want that. There are some positives to be taken, though – the band has an ear for an occasional melody – and if they can add that extra intangible something then future records have every chance of being more exciting and engaging.