About a week ago I was prepared to trash Editors and their debut album The Back Room. It would be easy to do, I thought. On first listen, Editors struck me as very adroit Interpol impersonators. On second, third, fourth listens, they still sounded like Interpol. Simple. Call them copycats and get on with it.

But I kept coming back to the album. Around the fifth play it began to be less and less about Interpol and more about itself. Other influences started to surface, namely Kitchens of Distinction. Hearing a KOD inspiration in any band makes me happy. KOD never received the respect they deserved. If you're not familiar with the Kitchens, I recommend picking up Strange Free World (1991) and The Death of Cool (1992) and visiting these sites.

Back to Editors and keeping it short lest this post risk losing its quick take title, ignore the "sounds-like" obsessives (like me) and listen to a album ornate in grand and thrilling moments that stand confidently on their own merits.

The Back Room was released on July 25 in the U.K. by Kitchenware Records.

Stream The Back Room via the NME Listening Post.