Sometimes a record comes out that you just can’t help but dance to. No matter where you are, what you are doing, how you feel – you must dance. Now I must tell you all right now that this can be a very dangerous feature of a record. Say you are on the bus and you put on one of these infamous boogie-down records, only embarrassment can ensue. You nod your head and tap your feet - with a stupid, cheesy grin smeared over your face. These are involuntary reactions, inside you scream, “Make it stop! I look like a fool!” But there is no stopping. Guess what? Q and Not U made me look like a fucking idiot, but I guess that’s nothing new, so I don’t really care.

I’m very wary of the massive amount of dance-punk bands surfacing at the moment, all enjoying their moment in the spotlight and I guess it’s pretty safe to say that Q and Not U are kinda cashing in on the genre’s newfound popularity. Wonderful People, the opening track, is a carefree, light, funky kind of tune that took me by surprise, it sets the scene for the record very well, however.

7 Daughters follows on sounding slightly more like the Q and Not U of old, based on a simplistic bass line and drum groove. L.A.X is an urgent sounding song with a vocal performance that kicks more arse than that clown from The Killers could ever hope to. Throw Back Your Head is possibly the first song I have heard that utilises a recorder (yes, that godawful instrument you were made to play in Year 2). By the time this part of the song comes around again, the much warmer sounding flute replaces it, followed by the two in harmony – truly one of the record’s odder moments. The rest of the song is cute with a very stripped back drumbeat and unpretentious guitar pattern backing. Most noticeable by its absence is the rhythmic bassline that the band usually relies on so heavily. This song is brilliant in its ability to prevent break up the flow of the record enough to keep the listener’s attention if for no other reason.

Wet Work is another example of brilliant, tasteful synth-punk that sets the band apart from newcomers to the genre. An irregular sounding guitar line carries the verse as a simple but effective vocal hook drags you into the chorus and won’t let go. The harmony vocal-based District Night Prayer serves as the most different song on the record, also helping separate the other more groove-based songs. If Collect The Diamonds was an acoustic ballad, I could see it becoming a massively popular protest song. The anthemic quality is never cheesy, but always interesting. Without wanting to say much more, this song alone is reason enough to buy this record.

Beautiful Beats is a darker sounding, but totally danceable track and Dine carries on the darker tone of the second half of the record with an eerie, reverberating guitar line and primal sounding beat pulling it along. X-Polynation is a no holes barred, arse-kicking dance-punk song, moving closer to the latter of the two genres which is actually quite refreshing. Passwords is a little dull and slightly unimpressive though it does feature a very effective spirally guitar line. Book Of Flags is probably as close as I’ll ever get to liking INXS, with attitude from the lead vocal, light funky guitar and a melodic backing vocal tying it up nicely. The closing track, Tag Tag} doesn’t offer too much different unfortunately. Although it’s just as good a song as most of the others, we’ve heard it all by now and I would’ve enjoyed a slightly less predictable closing.

Get this record for your little sister this Xmas if she’s getting a bit too in amongst this dance-punk craze and hell, while you’re at it, get a copy for yourself. It’s not really meant to be taken too seriously, but it’s a hell of a lot more intelligent than a lot of the other tripe the genre has to offer. Just don’t listen to it on the bus, okay?