FULL REVIEW HERE

Frantic, energetic indie-punk with adolescent attitude is what you'll get from this midlands four-piece, they won't settle for anything less; Max Raptor's second single, 'Ghosts', is no exception. There are whiffs of youthful indie-mob swagger a la The Pigeon Detectives, The Twang, Maximo Park, especially with the catchy pop chorus, but also hints of heavier, more mature acts such as Queens of the Stone Age and Foo Fighters. Especially during the verses, singer Will Ray's vocals even have a darker, goth punk edge to them, frantically singing from high to low before he launches into the shouty mob chorus with vocal support from his bandmates.

In reality, Max Raptor are your average indie-pop-punk guitar band with added synth (probably just for the cool factor). They know what they like and what they want to sound like but unfortunately do just that; regurgitate predecessors and contemporaries with a cliché if commendably energetic blend. I'll hazard a guess that Max Raptor come up with the goods live, but this release unfortunately lacks that extra little oomph.

School report: A- for effort, D for achievement and originality.