Ocean Eyes follows hot on the heels of "Fireflies", a sparkling piece of emo-tinged electronic pop that made Adam Young, a bedroom musician from small-town Minnesota, a chart-topper on both sides of the Atlantic. Critics have noted the similarities of Owl City to past introspective electronica outfits such as Sub Pop signees The Postal Service, but Ocean Eyes is plainly a brighter, more populist spin on the sound, with colourful melodies, vocals tinted with autotune, and emotions writ large.

Yes, it's sentimental stuff-–lyrically, the sort of literate-but-neurotic fare that sounds as informed by the dialogue of articulate indie flicks like 500 Days Of Summer than traditional pop songwriting. "I’ve been to the dentists' a thousand times so I know the drill" quips Young on "Dental Care", a song inevitably less about deep-canal work than matters of the heart. Those with harder hearts may find the overall effect a little saccharine, but it’s inescapable that Owl City has the ear for a tune that can really weevil its way into your memory-–hear how the likes of "Cave In" and "Hello Seattle" recall "Fireflies" in their blend of yearning emotion and crisp, sing-along hooks. --Louis Pattison