Midnight Juggernauts have turned their sound on their head somewhat on their second EP, Secrets of the Universe. With a more dance-orientated sound than their self-titled debut from early 2005, this mid-2006 follow-up augers well for the future.

It gets off to an incredibly strong start with “Shadows”, but the thing that most strikes about Secrets of the Universe is the consistency in the sound – there’s not much fat on this release, with “Tombstone” and the excellent “45 and Rising” both pop-tastic but also structured in interesting ways. The latter also features on the EP in remixed form, where Sydney group the Presets amend it slightly rather than significantly.

Perhaps the only track that doesn’t immediately satisfy is “Devil Within”, a rough ‘n tumble number that’s significantly nastier than several other numbers. Given that Secrets of the Universe is such a balanced release – no one track really stands out above another – and that each track sits comfortably alongside the other, it’s going to be fascinating to see how Midnight Juggernauts allow their sound to develop on future releases.