The Undertones formed in Derry, Northern Ireland, in 1975 and released their debut album The Undertones in 1979 which peaked at #13 in the UK Charts. John and Damian O’Neill partnered infectious guitar hooks to 60s garage, 70s glam rock, with Feargal Sharkey’s signature vocal quaver. Those qualities came together on their breakout hit ‘Teenage Kicks’, whose simplicity harked back to 60s ideals of when the song was king.

This classic debut record infuses so much unabashed joy in two-minute three-chord pop songs, and there’s little pretension in their unapologetically teenage worldview, that even the darker hints of life in songs like the suicide-themed ‘Jimmy Jimmy’ are delivered with a sense of optimism at odds with so many of their contemporaries.