In April 2009, Irish radio started to feature a song by a young Northern Irish band with an interesting name. The song itself was excellent, however…

Two Door Cinema Club would go on to dominate the radio waves for the summer of 2009, with Something Good Can Work and the brilliant I Can Talk helping to create a proper sense of excitement around the band. The Belfast three piece, comprised of Alex Trimble, Kevin Baird, and Sam Halliday, were creating indie rock that gave the impression that they were a band who were just looking to have fun. This seemed a contrast from the music that was prominent on the radio, and it instantly made it stand out.

Their debut album, Tourist History, that would be released in February of 2010 along with the single Undercover Martin, would build upon this sense of excitement and would feature as one of the best albums of the year.

The opening track of this album is one of the best you could ever hope to find. The phenomenal Cigarettes in the Theatre sets the listener up perfectly for the album demonstrating everything that gathered the band attention in the first place, catchy and relatable lyrics, scintillating guitar and drums, and danceable beats.

The album continued to build on this initial excitement and energy that is created by the opening track with the brilliant Come Back Home and Do You Want It All?. These songs continued the theme of electrifying guitar and interesting, memorable lyrics that made the singles up this point stand out as much as they did.

Another stand out moment on the album is the track What You Know which would go on to be another single for the band. Another electric piece of music it would be another staple on Irish radio for the band, and further afield as well.

However it seems that the song that this album will be remembered for is the aforementioned Undercover Martin which remains one of the songs from this album that is constantly revisited. A concoction of exciting guitar and catchy lyrics, it continues to be a feature of any party playlist that you might find.

The final songs on the album is the perfect closer for the collection of songs on show. Eat That Up, It’s Good For You and You Are Not Stubborn are the ideal summation of the themes and musical ideas that the band explore across the songs on the album.

Tourist History is still an album that I return to on a regular basis to listen to from start to finish. On this record  Two Door Cinema Club managed to capture all that enthusiasm of being a young band finding their way in a record that flowed from one track to another with an effortlessness that left many fans looking forward to what would come later.

MK