AFTER the skinny jeaned scenestering of their lively debut, Not Accepted Anywhere, The Automatic have re(focus)grouped and hit on a meaty, beaty, big new sound. It's certainly better played and more thought out than its predecessor, which did little more than dance around the pop highs of Monster and Raoul, but it's a bit of a let down to be struck by the quality of the workmanship not the work itself.

Still, Steve McQueen and Magazine are decent stabs at Kerrang territory with some pop gloss; and the "Good things don't happen to ugly people" refrain from Bad Guys will find its fans; as will the tuneful instincts of Secret Police.

But there's something about This Is A Fix that sounds too planned, too considered and over-laboured. Maybe next time?