Goodnight Lois have their sights set high. Having conquered the Bristol music scene and received positive acclaim for their debut EP, they’ve now released debut album ‘Immaculate Deception’ with plans to expand their reach even further.

Listing their inspirations at Muse, Foo Fighters and The Killers, admittedly they aren’t quite on the level of these stadium legends – however what they do, they do well. ‘Immaculate Deception’ features big riffs, towering choruses and slightly cheesy rhyming lyrics that get stuck in your head with ease.

Goodnight Lois essentially play ambitious, alternative rock which focuses on the love and loss side of things. They have an early 2000’s sound, with ‘Kings of Yesterday’ not sounding out of place on a Hinder record. Tracks like ‘Satellite’ show them at their best, as they showcase chugging drums, instrumental solos and slightly dodgy lyrics such as “Everyday you’ll be a satellite and everything’s alright”.  ‘Melanie’ is hideously catchy, and the kind of song you’ll hum for days after without any idea where it came from. 

Not all tracks stick to this formula however; stripped back songs such as ‘Today Tomorrow’ and ‘Runaway’ allow the vocals to really shine, while ‘Go’ plays around with some electronic sampling. This experimenting with sound isn’t always entirely successful but mixes things up a little. 

In terms of production, and only a minor criticism, the drumming on this is much louder than any other instrument (including the vocals) and at some points it detracts from the rest of the album.

Overall this is a pretty decent first effort, Goodnight Lois show room for growth and their debut album is catchy if not memorable. While there could be some improvements (especially lyrics), this is a sturdy addition to the radio rock roster. 

3/5

‘Immaculate Deception’ by Goodnight Lois is released on 19th August.

Goodnight Lois links: Facebook|Twitter|Website

Words by Jay Sullivan.