With a string of headline festival appearances around the corner, the Celtic five-piece know that they need more than one crowd anthem, and with Chasing Cars they have absolutely nailed it. A gigantic guitar sound shows a move towards U2-esque stadium rock, but with Gary Lightbody’s sensitive vocals the band maintain that sweetly intimate edge.

This is not a milestone in modern-age song writing, but then it doesn’t try to be. The lyrics sometimes veer off into nonsense such as "show me a garden that’s bursting into light" but it is sung with such verve that it scarcely matters. Beginning, and ending, with a twinkling guitar line, moving from quiet verse, and gaining momentum before the final chorus explodes into life, this follows all the rules of a song that is designed to make you well up with emotion. Sounds easy, but many bands could not write a song like this to save their lives.

Perhaps Snow Patrol are a blessed entity, to whom a song like this comes naturally. Guaranteed to have you roaring out the words, this as sad and as catchy a song that is likely to be released all year.

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