It has been said that Echolalia and The Official Fiction, the last two Something For Kate albums that were separated by two years, could have easily been combined. Both produced by Trina Shoemaker, their sound was relatively similar; the former was the more instant of the pair, while the latter displayed some aggressive intent.

For their fifth album – Something For Kate are now one of very few Australian acts to go through their label contract without being dropped – the Melbourne three-piece have taken the aggression hinted at on The Official Fiction and amped it up; Desert Lights is guitar-focussed and nicely put together by producer Brad Wood in Los Angeles.

When it’s at its best – as on “California”, single “Cigarettes and Suitcases”, and album highlight “Transparanoia” – this is a super-strong effort, with great songs that are both memorable yet instant. The latterly-mentioned “Transparanoia” kicks off with a guitar line like something that AC/DC (or perhaps Airbourne) would produce, before devolving into a squall of Sonic Youth-esque proportions.

However, the likes of the dreamy closer “Washed Out to Sea”, the dull “This is the Life”, and the drifting “Down the Garden Path” don’t work nearly as well – sitting alongside the likes of “Oh Kamikaze”, “Impossible” and “Statues”, they simply don’t strike with the same intent. They sit outside the sound that for the most part dominates Desert Lights, that being a strong, determined and focussed assault.

In short, it makes Desert Lights more uneven than it needs to be. Shorter than any previous Something For Kate albums, at only ten tracks and a tick over forty-three minutes, there’s an uncertainty as to whether Desert Lights is as cohesive as the previous two Something For Kate albums in particular. Instead, it feels more like an album by a band who are uncertain as to where they are going, and don’t have the same quality of songs as in the past.