Adam Hattaway and the Haunters: Bug Eyes (digital outlets)

Elsewhere was enthusiastic about this Christchurch band's excellent Woolston, Texas album but less enamoured with the over-long (22 track) follow-up Rooster which, we said, wore its influences from country-rock, the Stones, garagebands and Tom Petty too overtly.

The result was “it can be like listening to the b-sides or unnecessary extra tracks in a box set by one of those bands”.

By virtue of its economy and focus – just 12 discrete songs – and by pushing into new territory (the Gibb-falsetto on the danceable pop-rock of the groove-riding Haunted Man) this album is a real return to form, and step up.

Certainly there are  elements of early Seventies Stones, Petty/Heartbreakers and some Jack White here but songs like the dreamy country-soul ballad Imagination (with trumpet and flute) and the house-rockin', humorously self-aggrandising Man of Action show a band increasing its breadth and adding to a catalogue of fine and entertaining songs.

Promises looks back to the late Sixties British pop-rock and the piano-hammered Disco Surprise is another falsetto, dance-floor filler with nods to the Glitter Band.

When writing about the excellent Racing album we hoped that perhaps the Beths' success would see local audiences wanting more local guitar-driven rock.

If that's you, then you could do a lot worse than finding Adam Hattaway and the Haunters.

Start with Woolston, Texas then cut straight to this one.

.

You can hear and buy this album at bandcamp here