Hal's introduction to the alternative music world has been an slightly unenviable one - they've been branded as just another Thrills, partly due to the fact that they hail from Dublin, and also the fact that they play blissed out pop harmonies which make you think you're lying on a beach somewhere on the West Coast of America. What's more, their debut single Worry About The Wind failed to rock any boats, leaving 2004 a year of missed opportunity and unfulfilled potential.

However, with What A Lovely Dance, their second single, such comparisons to their fellow countrymen should pale into insignificance - it's an absolutely glorious track with the uplifting melody of Tiny Dancer and a beautiful, catchy chorus that won't leave your head for hours after you've heard it. Its lyrics are equally positive, with front man Dave Allen seemingly revelling in a carefree existence, ("What a special night/wasn't thinking about what was wrong but what was right") making us wonder why we ever bother to listen to Radiohead.

This is the first truly essential single of 2005, one that suggests their debut album, out in April, will be the soundtrack to our summer.