With lyrics like “dancin’ on the tabletops, drinkin’ till we all throw up” and an inside cover featuring the band sitting at a table covered in empties, presumably this young South Carolina quartet’s idea of a balanced diet is a beer in each hand. It follows on naturally enough then that, this, their debut long-player is very much rock and roll by numbers. But, boy, what numbers they are.

The Films are Michael Trent on lead vocals and guitars, guitarist/organist/pianist/singer Kenneth Harris, Jake Sinclair on bass and backing vocals, and drummer/yet another supporting singer Adam C. Blake. They’ve been tipped by those in the know in the US to be “breakout band of 2007”. And they create the most perfect slow rock numbers since Guns N’Roses at their peak, especially so with third track ‘Jealousy’ and closer ‘Bodybag’.

There’s also a glam rock sheen to their sound. Opener ‘Good Day’ gets it on like T-Rex. Later, ‘Strange Hands’ recalls David Bowie during past lives as Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane.

So why they’ve recently been supporting The Kooks, OK Go, and The Horrors is anybody’s guess. Better touring partners would includes the likes of The Strokes, French Kicks, and Hot Hot Heat. Promoters: take note.

As brooding as they are playful, The Films make for great entertainment. In concert and on record. The only thing that can stop them now is their livers.

(4/5)