Named after a town called No Hope in New Jersey (which actually turned out to be called Hope after all), Manchester's newest musical export are here with their optimistic outlook and crunching guitars. But will they follow Nine Black Alps into the stratosphere or sink into a puddle of despair and decline like so many rock groups from our fair city?

Well, firstly we should be grateful that they don't sound like any other major band from Manchester, which at least makes them unique, and nor do they sound anything like The Strokes, which makes them stand out from most new British bands at the moment.

With Chris Sheldon bringing his experience as producer, Steady Diet of Decline was never going to not rock, and clearly Atlantic Records saw something in them to have signed them up after only six gigs. The good news is that they do mostly deliver on that initial promise with a steady album that won't change your life but will rock your world in a melodic kind of way.

Chugging single Decline was a good promo for the album of (almost) the same name, and it kicks things off nicely. Bad Luck ironically sounds more like Nirvana than most of Nine Black Alps' repertoire, although it's certainly Bleach-era Cobain. The opening guitars of Joys In Regret sound a little Pumpkins-esque, but that's where the similarities end as NHINJ take it off into a muscular pop direction that even echoes early Blur at times.

It's one of the album's highlights and is followed by another, in the melodic Waste. A key component in both songs is the excellent guitar work from twin guitarists and founder members Andy and Steve, with the crunching power chords merging in well with the more sophisticated lines underneath. Last year's download-only single Invaders features on this album as well as fiery limited 7" Narcolepsy, both of which were crucial in cementing a fan base early on.

There can't be many more intruiging song titles this year than Sanitized Toilet Life, though sadly the song itself turns out to be a bit disappointing compared to what has gone before. Similarly strange-titled Gut Junk is much more like it, with NHINJ living their Black Flag dream as well as fitting in some heavy metal riffing in the middle eight. While it may not always hit the spot, it's a freshing sound to come out of Manchester and there's plenty of promise of greater things to come.