Young Crone: Two things, my Lord, must ye know of The Daughters of Bristol. Me: Yes? Young Crone: First, they are not from Bristol! [I roll my head in exasperation.] Young Crone: And second, they are... Me: Not daughters? Young Crone: [In a normal voice.] You do know 'em, then!

"St Lucia" opens the album, full of melancholy piano. It sets the mood but isn't representative of what follows. "Promise Land" has a tinny drum machine, crisp flange-treated guitars and Joseph's Bowie-esque vocals. Simple synth stabs add colour to the chorus. There is mention of 'calling my name' which is quite the done thing for this sort of song. It's sprightly, catchy and should have dark clad hordes on the dance floor. Once I got over the disappointment that "Moira" wasn't about the dwarves' home in Lord of the Rings, I was impressed with its Sisters of Mercy styling circa First and Last and Always. Two minutes in the music builds, before dropping away to leave vocals and tentative guitars. It's an act of bravado that reaps dividends. Too often this sort of music can stay at the same level, not something you can accuse The Daughters of Bristol of.

The Daughters (we do call them The Daughters don't we?) borrow the guitar sound from "Amphetamine Logic" for "To Wonder Streets". The 80s sounding synths add depth. Joseph and Edward are 'searching for a destination', which simultaneously recalls – and disagrees with – The Sisters of Mercy's "Train" which categorically states: 'Everybody got a destination/Everybody got a place to go.' Maybe we can't all be as confident in our direction as Andrew Eldritch. "City Lights" has the drum machine set to 'tribal', which is particularly effective when coupled with the sultry bass. The multi-tracked vocals create a disorientating feeling, as if the listener had indulged in illegal substances.

"Deep" has the chorus-filled acoustic guitar, used by The Sisters of Mercy in "Something Fast". Even with just the voice and guitar The Daughters make a sound worth listening to. I am taken by a perverse desire to see them tackle Extreme's "More Than Words" in a Gothic stylee. "First Terror" picks up the pace again. It sounds as if were recorded in the same spooky, echo-y cavern used by The Cure when recording their Faith album. "Red River" is a little dirge-y. There's nothing wrong with it exactly, it just doesn't stand out much.

Can there be a more goth song title than "Black Reign/Black House"? It's not only about a house that is of the darkest colour, but also a term in a position of power of the same hue. A piano sound boosts the already lively chorus. I was going to suggest that this would work well in clubs, but it has potential to confuse dancer and DJ as four minutes in, the first part (presumably "Black Reign") fades abruptly, to be replaced by the quiet "Black House" which it isn't possible to dance to. A Sisters-like bass lies at the heart of "At My Window", where Joseph acts as observer and commentator on the world.

The Daughters of Bristol aren't going to win any prizes for originality, but I've long since stopped seeking that in my music anyway. What I want is something 'different, but the same'. Joseph and Edward take the sounds and atmosphere of bands I love and give me new avenues to explore, even if the city is essentially the same.