The Holiday Crowd sounds almost identical to the Smiths. There’s no denying it, and it’s the most prominent (and obnoxious, sorry!) observation to make. It’s so obvious that nearly all comments on The Holiday Crowd’s YouTube videos are something along the lines of “Sounds just like the Smiths,” or “Wow! Smiths!” It’s a little strange, and detracts from whatever actually does sound unique to this band. That aside, the album is light and fluffy, and it would seem that the band probably put this together for an English afternoon drive to the nearby beach after a spot of tea with Grandmama and the fam – except these guys are from Scarborough. Ontario. Perhaps the best thing about this album is that it will make you appreciate the Smiths a whole lot more. (New Romantic, newromanticmusic.com) Victoria King