A fine self-financed debut release that shows tremendous potential.

Hailing from Milan, this young band features a female singer similar in many ways to Paramore's Hayley Williams, delivering punchy and spirited music with not a single song longer than four minutes. What Never Trust provide is a straight to the point, no frills, easy on the ear modern Rock songs that the cool young hipsters can dig. Not too dissimilar in style to the afore-mentioned Paramore and more than the odd nod to Halestorm, whom both bands they profess to admiring,

Never Trust's opening song 'Fade Away' serves up the type of offering littered throughout the album with its spirited and spunky approach full of chugging modern riffs and driving drums. 'Worthless' follows in a Paramore and Halestorm soaked flavour with its racy rhythms punctuated with staccato beats and modern guitar riffs, whilst first single 'Honey' could be a twenty-first century Blondie with a far rockier edge.

Produced, arranged and mixed by Onil Utsis and Jimmy Temper in Cleveland and mastered by Dave Towne in Nashville, it is crisp and dynamic with the sparse sound (no keyboards or additional instrumentation) making it sound fresh and exciting as well as relevant in the modern Rock age. Guitarist Massimo Buggio has nailed the requirements of each song with his melodic and at times classy playing, Flavio Oggionni holds down a steady bass line and drummer Gianni Borgonovo has a hard hitting style that has energy and panache. For me the final song 'Against The Tide' – an acoustic stripped back affair – is both mature and melancholic and showcases vocalist Elisa Galli's smokey-tinged slightly raspy vocals to great effect.

Altogether a fine self-financed debut release that shows tremendous potential. Historically Italian Rock bands haven't set the world on fire but if Never Trust can tap into the huge teen Paramore/Halestorm market then they could go a long way – I guess it's a case of watch this space.

Carl Buxton