180 Palma Violets (The Label/Rhythmethod) As retro as their candied namesakes, the Palma Violets have ridden a wave of hype off the back of an NME tour and crashing single Best of Friends, but their youthful exuberance and hurtling adherence to the rock n roll lifestyle fails to provide the solid bedrock of promised stardom. True, they’ve mastered a ”sound” thanks to Pete Mayhew’s swirling gothic organ and lad-about-town lyrics from frontmen Chilli Jesson and Sam Fryer, and ex-Pulp bassman producer Steve Mackey does very little to break their live-feel style by twiddling too many knobs, but this next big thing just doesn’t seem to have the same smash-and-grab impact of, say, The Arctic Monkeys.
