Euphoria Audio may have released the best debut album of 2014.

Wakefield's Euphoria Audio may just have released the best debut album of 2014. Blessed with the ability to pen classy Melodic Pop Rock songs and a lead vocalist (Matt Shirty) with adept delivery, EA has already showcased their gifts supporting Aerosmith in Singapore and playing MusExpo in L.A. several times as well as playing at the Viper rooms. Heavily supported by Jeff Blue and Brandon Friesen, who produced the debut EP as well as this album for the band, EA seems to be associating themselves with all the right people.

Ready made for the U.S. market – although amazingly the record was recorded in Bradford – songs such as the hugely melodic 'Your Tomorrow's' , the Indie Rock of 'Collide' and 'Time' have echoes of U2, whilst Shirty's exquisite vocals on the slick Pop of '3 Seconds' or 'Speechless' bring to mind prime-time Nine Days or the now defunct Canadian band Outmatch.

It's a perception, perhaps correctly, that this genre of classy Pop Rock is the preserve of America or Canada, but Euphoria Audio buck the trend and then some with an album that is as good, if not better, than their transatlantic counterparts.

Mike Newdeck