After a triptych of singles and a multitude of live shows, Belfast/London based duo Rews have released their debut LP offering, ‘Pyro’. A band’s first album can serve as a somewhat cautionary tale but for Rews, it is an album that makes it sound like they have been around for a lot longer than just a single album.

‘Pyro’ is incredibly polished and lacks the teething pains that many smaller artists can fall victim to. After being recruited by Marshall Records, they joined the likes of King Creature and Reigning Days – testament to Marshall’s eye for seeking up and comers. You’d be forever for thinking there are more than just two members of the band because both front woman Shauna Tohill and drummer Collette Williams play with a fervent vehemence unbecoming of a duo.

Spanning ten tracks at clocking in at just over thirty minutes, there isn’t a single track on ‘Pyro’ that feels like filler. Everything is short and punchy but manages to never come across as samey. Simultaneously, there’s nothing incredibly captivating about any one track on the album. Tracks like Miss You in the Dark and most recent single, Your Tears, are infectious and hard-hitting but lack anything to really set them apart and make them truly memorable.

There’s a big difference between being good and being great, and Rews are still situated in the former despite showing great promise and delivering what is a an enjoyable album. The lack of a second guitarist and low-end from a bass are things that are sorely missed and could provide Rews with more diversity and depth to their sound.

Despite this, it’s hard to really criticise anything on ‘Pyro’ for what it presented – the issue lies in what wasn’t there. There is only so much that two musicians in this set-up can achieve and while ‘Pyro’ is a very good debut, there isn’t much that would compel you to listen to it more than a few times.