rising from the ashes of Manchester's sorely missed Amida, comes the fresh and new Champion Of Youth, and this self-titled mini-album is their debut release. To be honest, though, I really can't tell much of a difference between this new band and the final works from Amida (which were released as the "Boring Birth" album on Jigsaw about five years ago). That is, this is still energetic indiepop with tight, jangly guitars (see also the Wolfhounds or Sarandon) and lots of terrific melodies and witty lyrics, though I guess there's a bit more indie rock influence seeping through now, not unlike Urusei Yatsura and early/mid-period Pavement. Also, the songs are a wee bit longer this time around, with 7 songs in 23 minutes, averaging just over 3 minutes a piece. Amida may be long gone, but their successor manages to live up to their stellar legacy!

Not limited. All songs written by Champion Of Youth. Available digitally on Bandcamp.