“Glam-rock” is the word to describe UK’s Switches’ music. Their music sounds similar to Weezer but with its own twists. Their tunes are energetic and their lyrics are catchy, especially in their first track “Drama Queen” on their debut album “Lay Down the Law.”

“Drama Queen” begins with: “But it remains to be seen if you’ve got what it takes to be queen Just get your ass through my door.” The bold lyrics mesh well with the bold music.

Lead singer Matt Bishop’s voice was captivating in each track, particularly in “Lay Down the Law,” the third track on the album. He is able to perform with a range of tones. He hits each note perfectly whether it’s low or high. In “Lay Down the Law,” you can really hear the energy and passion in his voice even though he uses a low tenor. His voice is lulling and entrancing in “Lay Down the Law” and then completely changes in “No Hero” by singing upbeat in higher octaves.

Most of the songs are about love. Not the sappy kind of love, however. It’s more about the realities of love and the not happily ever after of love-well, for some anyway. The best thing is Bishop’s voice is also clear so you can understand what he’s actually saying instead of just hearing music. If you like to sing along, “Lay Down the Law” is a great album to do it to. “No Hero” would probably be the best to sing along to because it’s one of those songs that get stuck in your head. Most of the lyrics consist of the words “no hero” so it’s not hard to remember the lines.

Bishop also plays the guitar along with Ollie Thomas. Both of the musicians do a great job of keeping listeners listening. Their style is unique with awesome solos-it sounds like something that would be fun to play on “Guitar Hero” or “Rock Band.” It’s quite contagious. Other members who contribute to the band are Thom Kirkpatrick who plays the bass and does the backing vocals and Steve Godfrey who is the drummer. Together, these four musicians have put together an amazing album.

The British band formed in Guilford where most of the band members went to school at the University of Guilford. Before becoming The Switches, they were known as Matt Rock and The Others. With the inspiration of Bishop’s talent for writing lyrics and his obsession of music, they were able to put together their first debut titled “Message From Yuz.” After changing their name, they made their jump start with their latest hit “Drama Queen.”

The band ended a U.S. tour in February with The Bravery. If they perform live as well as they do on their album, a concert would have definitely been worth going to. Future plans for more tours have not been announced.

This album is worth buying. It’s a good mix of soothing, melodic and upbeat lively music. You can either relax to it or jam with it. It won’t be surprising to hear their songs being played on radio stations soon.

Typhani Yang can be reached at [email protected]