Don't let the post-hardcore tag put you off, and enjoy some decent hard, melodic rock from Italy. Or else.

When future generations look back on us, I wonder if they’ll spare a thought of annoyance for all our ridiculous attempts at applying labels to every single band under the sun. Italy’s Dufresne are being branded with the term ‘post-hardcore’ for some reason, when all you’ll likely hear is some impassioned heavy rock with melodic, pop rock sensibilities and a slightly hardcore streak. There, that wasn’t so hard, was it? Post-hardcore my rectum……

AM:PM is Dufresne’s third album, and it certainly displays a level of comfort and confidence itself; it’s masterfully tight, concise and well executed, combining hardcore-influenced lyrics with simple, crunching guitar lines with choruses designed to burrow their way into your brain and stay there. It doesn’t rip up any rule books, and the base elements of Dufresne’s sound will be instantly familiar to those to like this type of music but it’s all executed with aplomb, so my advice would be to enjoy the ride.

Iwan Lehnert