With their highly contagious alternative pop-rock sound, it is certainly not the beginning of the end for Hotspur, a band hailing from the nation's capital itself.

Releasing a full-length album after having been bandmates for merely a year, the strength of the powerful dance-evoking hooks as encased within songs like the CD's key track, "Young and Reckless," may seem as pleasantly surprising as the instantaneous success of Panic! At the Disco. The ingenius addition of keyboard, an element the stereotypical "rock band" (consisting of bass, drums, and guitar) usually lacks, pungently accentuates the melody of songs such as "Her Majesty," contributing to the overall punk punch this disk packs from start to finish. And although the archetypal storyline of loves both won and lost becomes apparent, don't expect to find an emotionally downtrodden ballad; every song is just as upbeat as the last. Clever lyrics ("tripped on the phone as I left / and I woke up the cat") exhibit a unique style that virtually anyone can at once relate to.

Even the artwork of the LP portrays an intellectually ironic picture of a beta fish, pertaining to the three of the four members of Hotspur who have formally attained a degree in music business, a feat of intelligence that may be reverently respected amongst the performers of the modern music industry.

As Hotspur extensively tours the entirety of the east coast, continues to win appraise through such internet music staples as Purevolume and receives national radio exposure, it is only a matter of time before this hard-hitting quartet discovers its way within the playlist of your iPod -- and your heart.