So here's another retro new wave contender with staccato guitars, clipped vocals and fat, propulsive basslines. You could easily find yourself in a situation where someone bets you that you can't tell a song by Robbers on High Street from, say, a song by Tokyo Police Club. Here's how to win the bet:

• The shorter song is probably not Robbers on High Street.
• The faster song is probably Tokyo Police Club
• If there's a bit of falsetto singing, or if you ever think it might actually be Spoon instead, it's Robbers on High Street.
• The more aggressive the production (e.g., if the vocal is more distorted, or the drums sound harsher) the more likely it is to be Tokyo Police Club
• If there's a Paul McCartney and Wings cover, it's either Robbers on High Street, or something rare that you should put on eBay.

This teaser for the forthcoming Robbers on High Street longplayer, with 2 each album and non-album tracks, isn't bad by any means. "The Fatalist" is probably the strongest entry, it builds up slowly over its length in the way a Tokyo Police Club song never has time to do, and the McCartney track is an odd enough choice to be somewhat interesting (it's got a bit of a music hall stagey kinda vibe). But there's an awful lot of artists around right now making records that sound almost but not quite exactly like this one, and I'm far from sure this outfit has enough unique personality to stand out from the crowd.