8/10

While New York has always been the epicentre of America's forward-thinking musical exports, the city has been overrun with electronic artists over the last decade and coined its own New York Sound through that saturation. But the tides are changing as indie quartet Field Mouse look to break the humdrum approach of the last few years and deliver a debut record with high-energy and integrity that will appease even the most hard-nosed of music fans.

On the surface, Field Mouse do come across as this pretentious hipster outfit, describing their sound as post-goth or dream pop, when in fact they have a far simpler and much more likeable sound than you would expect. 'Hold Still Life' is this incredibly passionate record where the band have looked to push their enjoyable riffs and charming vocals into a style that demonstrates exactly how talented they are as songwriters. Each and every track on this album is a diamond-in-the-rough single in its own right. You could start this record on any track you'd like and would be instantly won over by its enigmatic energy and desire to be heard.

They may still only be a band on the cusp of international success but from this album alone, you can tell they have what it takes to be one of America's best new names, and surely it won't be long before the demand brings them to these shores.