The Magic Numbers – Alias (2014)

After finding early success with their first single Forever Lost – and the subsequent self-titled debut album – the career of The Magic Numbers has stalled somewhat. While that sounds strange for a band that are now releasing their fourth studio LP, the four-piece comprised of two sets of siblings have never quite managed to rediscover the attention they received when they first burst onto the scene around the mid-2000s.


While another four years has elapsed since the release of The Runaway – in which time Michele Stodart (vocals, bass) released a solo album – The Magic Numbers are still going strong and have returned with their latest effort, Alias. And on the back of the new album comes new hope, with single Shot In The Dark a promising example of what the band can do when they are at their infectious best.
“Well, I suppose that I’m just a shot in the dark/ have you ever wondered why we missed the mark?/ you say love, it never dies, it just falls apart,” sings frontman Romeo Stodart, over ramshackle guitars and pitch perfect vocal harmonies from sister Michele and Angela Gannon. The song possesses an anthemic chorus that surpasses anything the band have come up with since their debut, before closing with a delightfully ragged guitar solo.
However, if Shot In The Dark suggests The Magic Numbers have moved towards the rock end of the spectrum, then tracks elsewhere on the record provide a reminder of their more blissful, melancholic approach. Opener Wake Up is among them, with the song veering between a gentle piano melody and soaring harmonies to the occasional spurt of electric guitar. It’s an intriguing start, but at six minutes long, it does begin to lag towards the end.