Have you ever had a bad day? Well I have the perfect remedy for you, and no, it doesn’t involve stimulants. It comes in the shape of La Rocca, a quartet from Ireland who ooze stereotypical Irish charm you normally find replicated in bars in Spain. Three of the four lads met at college in Wales in 2002, and with the addition of Simon Baillie, the lead singer’s brother later that year, the foursome decided to hence forth and make some sunshine feel-good tunes. In 2004, the two brothers along with keyboard and guitar player Nick Haworth and drummer Alan Redmond decided to jet set it to L.A. to work with the producer of their dreams – Tony Hoffer. Hoffer, who has produced and mixed for the likes of The Thrills, Belle and Sebastian and Supergrass added the golden sand to La Rocca’s sound. Keeping their Irish accent, but giving it an L.A. cool twist, quite possibly making it a winning combination. ‘The Truth’ could prove to be the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

The opening track ‘Sketches (20 Something Life)’ sets up the rest of the album to be enthused with happiness. In fact, you’ll probably get some dodgy looks because you’ll be grinning all of the time. The keyboard playing in the background, courtesy of Haworth effortlessly drives the song up Sunset Boulevard, causing you to tap your foot regardless of how much of an idiot you might look like.

‘Goodnight’ takes the up tempo beats earlier heard on the album down to a slow march. Bjorn Baillie’s desire to be, in his words ‘the best songwriter of my generation’ can be heard clearly in this track. With lines such as ‘you held too close for both of us, till nothing touched could move’ making your brain hurt trying to decipher it. If you’re lucky and listen closely enough, you can even hear the sea.

The title track emits a different, more country feel, perhaps an exploration into La Rocca’s newly adopted home. The slow timely beats give an image of an old man lazing on his chair rocking to and fro, with the cool rhythm and melody suggesting he’s wearing shades and chewing gum. Although at first it’s quite a slow song, the melody still gets trapped in your head, inevitably resulting in a chronic humming addiction.

For a début album The Truth is not bad, not bad at all. It seems they have the luck of the Irish when it comes to writing lyrics and winning melodies. The album is not unlike The Thrills’ ‘So Much for The City’ in it being a cool collection of summer tunes that never fail to relax every muscle in your body. Every track has it’s own character yet still holds on to the L.A. foundations it grew from. You will find yourself in a deep trance, especially in the second half of the album where the songs slow down, allowing you to hear the meaningful voice of Baillie. Don’t be put off by the somber melodies. La Rocca could quite possibly be the best export of Ireland since Guinness.