The Radioactive Grandma: The Radioactive Grandma

Born in Peterborough and Dublin, but based in Cavan, the Radioactive Grandma are an interestingly named acoustic indie pop act who specialise in effervescent, three-minute heartsick harmonies backed by two guitars and a cajun (a Peruvian box-shaped percussive instrument…).

Steadfastly refusing to augment their sound with overdubs and studio trickery, their self-titled debut is a stripped back opus full of sugared hooks and superfast guitar strumming that calls to mind The Bluetones and Ben Folds’ poppier material. Tighter than the taxman’s wallet and deft at crafting a catchy chorus (‘Waves,’ ‘Don’t Look Down’) the trio’s first outing is a fun and frantic lo-fi record. While it all whizzes by a little too fast, it certainly whets the appetite for more.