In this day of the Unique Selling Point, The Veronica's must have been a record companies dream. A pair of cute twin sisters with the punk-pop sound that's seemingly so in demand these days, as the success of Kelly Clakrson would appear to suggest.
So all that remains really is for any decent tunes to be supressed in favour of leaden and dull tunes that will appeal to the neccessary demographic. Except the story isn't quite like that at all.
Yes, the Veronicas are packaged like any other "teen sensation" but what really sets them apart are the songs. Whilst the likes of Avril Lavinge (and it's no surprise that Lavigne contributer Chantal Kreviazuk turns up here) and Lindsay Lohan provide good albums with a modicum of filler, the Veronicas deliver a remarkably consistent album which delights almost from start to finish.
I doubt there are many albums this year that start off so strongly. 4Ever has to be right up their with co-writer Max Martin's best work, and Everything I'm Not and When It All Falls Apart are almost as good. And just when it seems to be getting all a little one-paced (Revolution sounds nothing more than a Lavigne knock-off), we get the standout track Secret, which starts off sounding like some bizarre Bond theme before hitting us with one of the catchiest (and funniest) chorus' you'll hear all year.
The one down point is the pointless cover version of Tracy Bonham's Mother Mother, which in it's day was a classic slice of feminine angst but sounds weak and tired in this superfluous version. It might have made a diverting B-side, but as an album closer it's out of place.
Still that disappointment aside, this is a fantastic pop album. Indeed, they've got the looks, they've got the tunes...what more could you possibly want people?
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