It’s not often that a band seriously reinvents themselves between an initial EP and their debut album, but Auckland alt-rockers Tablefox have done just that. Since 2013’s EP, ‘Passenger’, they have expanded from a trio into a quintet, and widened their soundscape, becoming more adventurous in the event. Recorded at Tsunami Studios, their debut album is a smart record with intended radio appeal. ‘Objects’ is weighted towards the start with energetic, fast guitar-driven songs, and it isn’t until the pretty Cigarette Glow (track seven) that there is any let up in the tempo.

The music is interesting in its influences. Singer Clinton Bell is a spot-on vocal double for Ryan Adams, especially on Don’t Look Now and Modern Times, while the slow-building New World and Something Better could have come from many a trans-Atlantic alt-rock band of the last 10 years. The band’s own production is also worth noting. The sound is crisp and smooth, with vocals and guitar at the front – it’s rare that a debut album sounds this perfect and ‘international’. ‘Objects’ is lean at 10 tracks, with little filler, but it would be interesting in the future to hear Tablefox veer away from their templated structures.