When did Power/Pop evolve out of what used to be Pop/Punk? The answer is of no consequence at all but I’d wager the release of Fall Out Boys “Infinity On High” last year was quite a defining moment (for that band at least) given that Wentz and co. sealed a transition from their punk roots to a more mainstream appeal with that record. 

Kids In Glass Houses haven’t really evolved from same kind of background as F.O.B and have always been about the poppier end of the rock spectrum, even adding former Dopamine guitarist Iain Mahanty to the ranks late in 2006 hasn’t beefed the sound up significantly. But this shouldn’t be seen as a negative criticism necessarily as, aside from an occasional darker guitar tone, the mood here is upbeat and the riffs complement this perfectly. 

That said KIGH do do this power pop thing very, very well indeed. Infectious choruses abound throughout "Smart Casual" with singles "Easy Tiger", “Give Me What I Want” (formerly known as “Me Me Me” from the E-pocalypse EP) and "Saturday" being perfect examples, each boasting a vocal hook that will embed itself into your brain and will reside there for days.

This records biggest downfall is that across the 12 tracks there isn’t a huge amount of variation from the boys and a couple of the songs are so lightweight that they could float away on the breeze and no-one would notice, “Girls” being the biggest culprit in this respect. But love them or hate them KIGH will be all over the rock media this summer, “Smart Casual” just about justifies the hype.

John Lewins