Dru Irving is a north-east singer/songwriter who has been in and around the local scene for a number of years and this, his debut album, is an absolute delight. He can do melancholic and reflective with the best of them, with the kind of tunes that recall the melodic know-how of early Prefab Sprout or The Blue Nile, but he can also pen straight up guitar pop (‘Without You’) or even deploy a nice bit of doo-wop (‘My 45s’). The album’s been a long time coming, but it’s certainly been worth the wait. GM

Out now, self release