The Rifles are what you might call a "bloke" band. They wear pork-pie hats and Fred Perry T-shirts, and there is something of the young Paul Weller about vocalist Joel Stoker. The restless, bouncy tunes fuse Hard-Fi and the Libertines with the Jam and the Members, and seem tailored to be shouted out after a few beers - preferably after having split up with a partner, for dramatic effect. This is the world that the band seem to inhabit and sing about: One Night Stands, Hometown Blues and a song called Robin Hood ("You're so good to me but sometimes I like to lose control"), which illustrates the dilemma of the night in with the girlfriend versus the night out with the lads.

Stoker's lyrics attempt to reconcile sensitivity with the demands of fitting in with the crowd. She's the Only One is introduced as "a girly song", as if its sentiments were something that should have been removed by forceps.

Sometimes, Stoker's tender streak is clumsy. "Rosie, don't go round like that," echoes the Police's Roxanne in expressing distaste for a girl's descent into prostitution but sounds closer to Alf Garnett than Sting.

However, when an untitled new song sees the band switch to acoustic guitars and melodica, the sensitive Stoker finally tumbles forth. It's a brilliant song - with echoes of the Jam's mighty English Rose - about "going to jelly" during an encounter with a girl. Blokes down the boozer might not be impressed, but songs like this could take the band to another level. Beery sing-songs are fine but are like a visit to a local: after 30 minutes you fancy checking out somewhere down the road.