In his collection of essays 31 Songs, first published in 2003, Nick Hornby wrote in glowing terms about the Teenage Fan Club song 'Ain't That Enough'.
In this piece he noted that "music reviewing is, for the most part, a young person's game"; something which, as a fifty something, I'm all too aware of!
If he were writing today about The New Mendicants, the novelist and occasional music critic would probably have observed that making Byrdsian pop replete with hooks, harmonies and good vibes is not something you'd automatically expect two guys pushing 50 to be engaged in.
Not that Teenage Fan Club's Norman Blake and Pernice Brothers' Joe Pernice are likely to be too bothered by such veiled criticism. They've both been making sunny pop music for the best part of their adult lives and joining forces gives fair warning that they have no intention of quitting just yet.
Blake and Pernice first met in November 2000 when their respective bands were sharing the bill at the Astoria Theatre, London.
As a big fan of both artists, it is not entirely coincidental that, 12 years later, Nick Hornby should be indirectly connected with this particular musical collaboration.
This initially came about when Blake moved from Scotland to become a resident of Toronto, Ontario where Pernice is based (both men have Canadian wives).
The two popsters jammed together and wrote a batch of songs which they hoped would make it to the soundtrack of the movie based on Hornby's novel Long Way Down.
In the event none of the songs were used but, undeterred, they decided to make them the basis for their debut full length release where they are joined by Mike Belisky of The Sadies on drums.
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These songs, like for example High On The Skyline, are described as toe-tapping tunes about people leaping to their deaths from tall buildings!
Three of the ten tracks first appeared on their Australia EP released in 2013 on Spunk Records. This includes the album's most memorable song, Follow You Down, as tender an acoustic ballad about a suicide pact as you could possibly wish for. On this, and tracks like If Only You Knew Her, Pernice's affection for The Smiths shines through.
In a more electric vein, the most TFC-like songs are A Very Sorry Christmas("I came here like a beggar on my knees") and Shouting Match.
The most uncharacteristic track is Lifelike Hair where the psychedelic feel and spooky organ is more akin to that of The Doors than The Byrds.
Aside from this, and even though early death is one of the album's main themes, the overall mood is unapologetically one of optimism, humour and hope. This is summed up in a line such as "You may be sad but it never lasts" on By The Time It Gets Dark.
Youth, like great pop, is often wasted on the young so the mature artistry of bands like The New Mendicants is something to be welcomed with open arms and ears.
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