The (Old Grey) Whistle Test was a TV show, but its name came from a simple fact – how easily a tune would take to the lips of ordinary people… doormen, posties, milkmen. The telly programme is long gone and our CD deliveries will soon arrive by drone, but opener ‘Goji Berry Sunset’ passes the test with flying colours, its whistled melody an infectious earworm that, perhaps, sees this Belfast-based songwriter’s debut peak really early. However, there’s plenty more – at times wistful, a stripped-back sound means Naomi Hamilton’s fanciful but evocative lyrics stand out. There’s a marked contrast with lo-fi and grungy efforts like ‘Russian Doll’, again so catchy that even punk-hating host Whispering Bob Harris would surely approve.
