Somebody's Child - Somebody's Child

After emerging into the Irish music scene with a string of singles prior to the pandemic, Cian Godfrey has been quietly building up a name and reputation for himself not just at home but here as well. His debut album, under the name of Somebody's Child, carries with it a certain weight of expectation then, and it pretty much hits the sweetest of spots throughout.

Pulling from the same vein of 80s-tinged indie pop-rock banger as the likes of Sam Fender and Inhaler, there's a certain familiarity around the music that can either ease the listener in - or leave a sense of nagging deja vu. Somebody's Child are aiming high, though, and they're aiming B I G on opener 'You Know What'. It's one of a number of soaring, singalong moments that clearly already show that the band's collective eyes are cast towards the biggest of rooms in future. The sound of Seventeen Going Under is plainly a big reference here, though at times the record swerves a little too close in vibe and loses a little of its own sense of personality and presence.

It's refreshing to hear, and feel, the ambition on display here - even if the band haven't quite got enough in the way of bangers to justify it just yet. That's a problem for another day, however, and Somebody's Child have already shown that they're on the right path on this debut. A promising start.