Born at Goldsmiths Univeristy as recently as 2006, things have moved pretty fast for Royworld. Weeks after forming, the bands hard-working ethos began securing them regular appearances at all the right Camden venues, and very soon their quirky little moniker became a music industry buzzword.

Brakes is the fourth single to be officially taken from June’s debut LP Man in the Machine, and like their previous releases this is keys heavy, synth-laden pop owing more to the likes of Keane or Ghosts than Royworld's ultra-cool fan base might suggest - Jo Whiley and Dermot O’Leary happily spin their upbeat numbers on air and NME included previous single Dust on a typically premature Best of 2008 list.

The problem with Brakes, common in so much of the 80’s style pop filling the UK’s airwaves right now, lies in it’s intolerably neat production values. Every knob is turned to “nice” every dial set to “smile” and only seconds after the almost offensively pleasant intro, the charm counter rises to ‘sickening’.

Rather than flow with feeling Rod Futriles vocals feel like a pastiche of emotion. Sharp intakes of breath surround each line like unnecessary brackets round prose, leaving him sounding about as genuine as a waxwork Marti Pellow. And it gets worse, if after twenty seconds or so, all this niceness hasn’t completely flattened your heart, just wait till the bridge comes in. Unashamedly lifted from Turin Brakes Painkiller (anyone who’s heard the infinitely better ‘original’ even once will spot it immediately), these achingly familiar few seconds should provide just enough respite for you to remember a record you should be listening to instead of this one. I suggest you quickly reach for your iPods skip button before the first overtly whiny chorus kicks in.

Unless of course, you were enjoying The Hoosiers or Scouting For Girls before this track came on, in which case you’ll probably turn the volume up, break out your air-piano, and congratulate yourself on being oh-so very Naughties.

Reviewed by WINSTON'S ZEN for AltSounds