This City exclusive - Frontiers' new EP

Thank fuck for Frontiers. God knows we don't need any more bands droning on about their last night out, or forcing on us their two-bit philosophising of the class system. Twenty years of identikit indie, and what have we got to show for it? The Fratellis, that's who. It's exactly the derivative wares Frontiers were peddling this time last year as Republic, and the difference is evident - whereas the band's previous incarnation relied unashamedly on tales of unrequited love over indie-by-numbers melodies, their new moniker sees them proudly carve out a sound of their own; gone are the brutish drums and the inherently overblown guitars in favour of a soaring, yet subtle, widescreen pop on a par with Elbow or Sigur Ros.

Book-ended by its two noticeable highlights, Send the Night Away and the title track, you'd expect the EP to flag somewhat in the middle, yet the opposite's the case; live favourite If You Think You Know Me is a more mature take on their early demos, while the On the Mend's bruised honesty highlights lyricist Alex's growth into a developed songwriter. While the band's tendency to veer toward a big chorus is at times evident, it's not to the detriment of their sound and with the closing strains of In Pursuit reaching a stunning crescendo, it's clearly a winning formula.

Frontiers are on Dean Jackson's The Beat on Radio Nottingham (103.8fm) from 9pm tonight for the first play of the EP.

Available for download from next week; CD out next month

www.myspace.com/frontiersofficial