When Panic at the Disco dropped their exclamation mark and instead of being the circusmasters of the freewheeling 'emo' bandwagon, went and turned all Sgt. Peppers on our ears, it was one of the most eye-opening image changes of recent years.
However just a few short months later, your retinas are soon to be turned inside out by the euphoric gloom-rock of White Lies.
The best band you've never heard of.
Originally called Fear Of Flying, Jack Brown (drums), Charles Cave (bass) and Harry McVeigh (guitar, vocals) made jangly pop-music a la Franz Ferdinand.
Following the demise of that band, the boys re-grouped and changed their sound from spiky indie nonsense to a melancholic Echo And The Bunnymen.
First single 'Unfinished Business' picks up where Arcade Fire's 'Intervention' left off; widescreen melodrama, church organs and haunting vocals that lodge deep within regions of the brain that you never knew you had.
Lyrical couplets like "I broke down in horror at you standing there/The glow from the moon shone through cracks in your hair/ I shouted with passion 'I love you so much'/But feeling my skin, it was cold to the touch" lacerate with emotion not seen since 'Love Will Tear Us Apart Again'.
The band have admittedly drawn infulence from Anton Corbijn's Control biopic and Harry Mc Veigh channels the intensity of Win Butler and pummels it through the legend of Ian Curtis.
White Lies will soon be embarking on a headline tour amongst a host of festival appearances to show their heart-breakingly honest sound of summer.
So, with a comeback that even Dirty Den would be proud of White Lies have inadvertedly recorded the single of 2008. Job done.
What are the odds on them going acid rave for the next single?
FemaleFirst Lee Sentino