To this writer, The Cooper Temple Clause have always been synonymous with noisy, experimental indie-rock that makes the pulse quicken and the mind boggle - and that's exactly how I liked them. Mere seconds after popping new single 'Waiting Game' into my CD player, that description looks like it might need some revision.

I'm not somebody who expects (nor wants) bands to make the same album over and over again, and The Coopers have a tendency for slow build-ups, but my heart sank when I heard this through to its conclusion. No tension, no release, just FM-friendly heartbreak. What I wanted was catharsis via noise, what I got was tantamount to inoffensive coffee table fodder.

It pains me to say it, but this has more in common with the likes of Placebo or Suede than it does the sonic terrorism of old. Lucky for me, then, that this isn't an accurate reflection of the rest of the new record.