It’s been raining all day and I’ve had Butterfliesin my head on a loop –a perfect combination.

Butterflies opens the 11-song album, and it’s clear why. The gradual fade-in of ultra-low drone bass, syncopated electric flutterings and Lucia’s rich, alto tones combine to give a sense of infinite-ness that the best songs of indie-rock possess.

You may know of Lucia & The Best Boys from their successful singles Perfectly Untrue or Summertime. It is clear the band has really come into their own with Burning Castles, carving out their own niche in this genre with an album that really is hard to fault.

Pervasive throughout is a theme of juxtaposing beauty, or an outward appearance of perfection, with darker inward feelings. Take the title of the fourth track, Angels Cry too, for example, or the eponymous track Burning Castles, which features lyrics such as ‘in with the blue, I’ll see you again when I’m shiny and new’, with the title itself denoting broken dreams blazing into ashes.

There are experimental elements to the album which keeps listeners on their toes, such as the repetitive scalic opening of Love Yourself which reminded me of Philip Glass ’Einstein on the Beachand conjured images of spaceships, or the quirky flute-like dissonance which opens and underpins the choruses of Care. I particularly enjoyed the rather visual lyricism, such as in Angels Cry Too ‘You call her an angel / but would you stay here if her wings were tied? / ‘cause even in heaven / she could be fallen / and then you’d see her in a different light’ that permeates the album.

Waiting On You Now provides some respite from the rock energy and a more intimate moment with piano accompaniment. Likewise, Hurt Somebody You Love has a more stripped-back instrumental setting which balances out the album well.

There is a touch of the extra-terrestrial with Lucia & The Best Boys, but at its core the music captures something I think listeners will universally connect with. Burning Castlesis the kind of album that will have you hooked from the first listen.

Catch Lucia & The Best Boys in Dublin, Glasgow and multiple venues across England during November. You can stream their album Burning Castles on Spotify, and buy their album on CD or vinyl by clicking the following link https://www.luciaandthebestboys.co.uk