(4AD/Remote Control)

Thin, pale and from Kent, bands don’t come much whiter than It Hugs Back. Their specialty is a combination of delicate indie ballads and fuzz-drenched pop from the Sonic Youth/MBV school. The quieter tunes (such as Forgotten Song and Soon) are a little bit like Yo La Tengo’s softer songs, though Matthew Simms’ murmur can’t quite compete with YLT’s double harmony wham of Ira and Georgia. The best bits are when they step on the guitar pedals, producing corkers like Work Day, Don’t Know and Back Down. Even in these moments, Simms retains the quiet voice to maintain a soft flow throughout the album, as fuzz drenched riffs return us to the late ‘80s/early ‘90s dream pop of Pale Saints/Swervedriver vintage. Though their restraint may be maddening to some listeners, the "whisper over the shoulder" approach of It Hugs Back ultimately works – maybe I’m getting sentimental in my old age, but when the amps hum and Simms mumbles like Kevin Shields in Now & Again, my ticker sings. Inside Your Guitar is a gentle, warm glow of an album.

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MATT THROWER