There’s an excitement in listening to the The Klares ‘Dirty Birds’ EP for the first time, even if it’s your first time listening to the band. Hailing from Blackrock, Dublin and not yet out of school, these transition year students at Monkstown CBS got the opportunity to make this EP by winning The Web Factor competition. It enabled them to gain some studio time, the result being the ‘Dirty Birds’ EP.

The Klares youthful exuberance is stamped over the record, particularly on Smile For You which has the cock sure swagger of Oasis. With its riffs and vocal delivery of Andy Burke it bears a striking resemblance to Cigarettes and Alcohol. Half the fun is spotting the influences of the band. Sundance Soldier’s first few bars remind of the intro on The Rapture’s ‘Echo’; which has been the opening song for the TV show Misfits for the past few years The Kooks and Arctic Monkey’s influence can be found in I Don’t Really Like You and Leave Without Me Tonight. Dirty Birds is the standout track with its brash riffs and its catchy refrain of “those dirty birds will force you to fly away”.

The one criticism is that The Klares have yet to really make a song that marks them out as being their own sound rather than be in thrall of their influences. There’s no doubt this EP is fun, but it would be great to see The Klares stamp their own unique signature on it. This can often be an issue for bands early in their existence, but it’s excusable for now given the age profile of the band’s members. Though not overly original this EP is tightly condensed, rough round the edges in a good way and full of youthful self-assuredness. It all adds up to confirmation that The Klares have raw potential and are ones to watch.