Virgin, 2010

Slick and highly poppy rock along the lines of The All-American Rejects. It’s (predictably) more than a little sickly sweet at times (see tracks like “Heaven Can Wait”), and has the required youthful emo elements, but the Florida quartet are at least good at what they do. Warning: only to be played in direct sunlight.

Self-released, 2010

Being a big fan of the sadly defunct Counterfit, my ears immediately pricked up at the fact that Helen Earth Band contain former members of that band. Even better, it turns out the San Diegans continue Counterfit’s evolutionary track, and with brilliant results. Their American Football-gone-math melodics and harmonising vocals make songs that are superbly, dreamily, ambitiously, head-noddingly catchy. One of the best releases of the year.

ES Music, 2010

Breathing Blue’s upbeat, driving pop-rock sounds a bit ordinary on first listen, but a closer examination suggests there’s something more clever lurking beneath the surface, especially in the frequent nifty guitar lines and the adventurous vocals. The New Jersey quintet don’t pull it together yet, but you get the feeling they might well on their next release.

LAB, 2010

Catchy and bright female-fronted pop-rock in the spirit of Paramore. It’s good at what it does – vocalist Jorja has a decent voice, and you can instantly sing along to the choruses – but the Brighton quartet will have to do a lot more to separate themselves from the thronging pop pack.

Deep Elm, 2010

The follow up to their debut full length Bad News From The Bar, The Connection gives us six tracks of warm emotional rock with a strong pop sensibility and plenty of bright-eyed drive. Singer Mike Getches has a likeable Postal Service / Weakerthans aspect to his delivery, and I can only see it and his lyrics growing in stature over future releases. Ideal summer listening.

Self-released, 2010

Fall Out Boy-inspired pop-rock from the Midlands, UK quartet. Handmade & Handgrown is earnest enough, and it’s clear what they’re aiming for – but they don’t have the catchiness or songwriting to pull it off yet.

Skullcow Records, 2010

Some unashamedly heartfelt rock from Oxford, relying heavily on uplifting acoustics, sprinklings of keyboards, and, predictably, a heap load of sentimental lyrics. It’s all a bit Dawson’s Creek, and the EP could do with much better production, but the songs are still pretty catchy.

Suburban Home, 2010

Look Mexico’s sophomore full length takes what the Gasp Asp EP started and runs with it: this treads sober and subtle indie-rock territory, rather than the buoyant math-pop of their debut album. It’s less immediately catchy, but the songwriting is more ambitious and adventurous; consequently the record requires more investment, but you’ll be rewarded for it.

Eyeball, 2010

There’s always been something about The Forecast that does it for me. Perhaps it’s that elusive x element to their songwriting, or their authentic and unpretentious approach, or that their melodies chime well with the chemical arrangements in my brain. Maybe I’m just a sucker for dual male/female vocals. Whatever the truth, this is catchy and intelligent pop-rock that won’t be leaving my stereo for a while.

Engineer, 2010

Bright-eyed melodic pop-rock from Birmingham UK, boasting suitably chunky guitars, a generous dose of catchy choruses and accompanying woahs/oh-ohs/yeahs, and a consistently upbeat drive. It’s not a debut that will set the world (or the genre) ablaze, but it will brighten a summer’s day by a few shades.

Viper Bite, 2010

Goodbye God is a mixed bag – part power-pop, veering at its most sugary toward quirky synth-pop (see “Days Of Thunder”), part subtle indie rock, where songwriter Jon Sebastian’s confiding voice takes precedence (see “It’s A Miracle”). It’s a brief assortment, with 12 tracks at under half an hour, and a bit disjointed – but enough strong individual songs make it worth a spin.

Epitaph, 2010

After the post production madness of Agony & Irony, the band have taken a back to basics approach on seventh studio album This Addiction. The result is a pop/rock record that shows plenty of growth and maturity while managing to give a respectful nod to their punk rock roots.