I'll be honest, it's not often that I hear a French band that gets my juices going these days. I'm not sure what it is but I've not heard anything since Warehouse and Attentat Sonore that leads me to believe that there is much going on across the English Channel (I could be wrong so please enlighten me). So you can imagine how totally blown away I was hearing this debut album from the Decline! (the exclamation mark is part of the name) with its catchy Leatherface/Against Me! take on punk rock. The vocals have a rough yet warm quality to them, which many will compare to the man who inspired many thousands to follow his voice, Frankie Stubbs. Rather than tag them as yet another Leatherface-style band I'd rather consider them as a bit of a cross between Nothington and the Magnificent, with a little Doctor Bison (like Leatherface, featuring the legendary Dickie Hammond) thrown in for good measure.

The album contains 13 tracks, although the first is just a 45-second intro, of melodic and anthemic punk rock tinged with a bit of folk. The combination of a strong and distinctive voice, with a thick, twin guitar attack and rumbling rhythm section does certainly get my blood pumping and there is something in the whole package which keeps dragging me back for repeated listens. The band is able to take on varying tempos with ease and the album is well sequenced to ensure the variety is there for all to hear and my interest never waned during repeated plays.

That first track leads directly into "A Punch In My Head," a really catchy song that really does have that melodic element that all of the bands mentioned above have, as well as a really strong guitar sound. With tracks like "Always Run," "Concrete" and "I'm Not Like You" adding to collection of punchy, melodic punk songs it's down to tracks like "Alone In My Grave" and "One Of Them" to provide the more relaxed, acoustic vibe offering a counterpoint to the more upbeat tracks.

The Decline! certainly puts France back on the map for me in terms of punk rock and it would be an injustice if the band's music is disregarded by those who enjoy strong melodic punk. For me the vocals help make this record stand out yet they've managed to put together a decent set of songs that do not just rely on that one distinctive element.