Electric Touch: Electric Touch

Electric Touch, the eponymous debut album by the Austin-based four-piece — two of whom hail from Houston — reaches a level of sophistication to which most new(ish) bands can only aspire. In opener "Love in Our Hearts," lead singer Shane Lawlor's gritty voice — easily comparable to that of a young Robert Plant or Mick Jagger — commands the listener's immediate attention: "I don't want no one unless I got you." A mix of blues, Britpop and rock and roll, it's a perfect introduction to Electric Touch, the band and the album. "Dance" and "Give Me a Sign" are energetic, frenzied and fun; Electric Touch does rely heavily on guitars to structure songs, but its songwriting is far from limited. In the ballad "Saved," Lawlor, who also plays the keyboard, paints a melancholy picture of loneliness and hope: "The acetone nights underneath the factory lights / another pretty dreamer, another lonely night lies on street corners." No matter how poetic the lyrics get, though, the music on Electric Touch never loses its intensity and sensual undercurrent. Seamlessly produced, Electric Touch still manages to capture the band's lively stage presence — quite an impressive feat for a group that has been together for barely a year.