Vegas Nights - Touch & Feel

'Touch & Feel / It Came As No Surprise' is the debut double A side from Vegas Nights. With the press release claiming the band "manages to not only cross eras but portray them with its musical sounds," I was certainly intrigued.

The influences of The Cure and The Happy Mondays are present in the structure and feel of the songs, producing a spring in the step and a pleasant smile. The hooks are catchy, the guitars are strong with driven passion and the drums bound and crash around the two tracks. The Beach Boys-style harmonies give a really joyous feel throughout, but you can certainly put too many "ooh oohs" and "ba ba ba daas" into a song and Vegas Nightsbreak that rule here.

The core of what was a really good idea has unfortunately been turned sour by the sloppy execution. The vocals are drowned in reverb that forces the listener to attempt to make out the smothered lyrics and masks any character in the singer's voice, which is a real shame. Rough edged recording and production have clouded what could have been a blistering debut, but Vegas Nights show real promise of providing a catchy pop track in the future.