New young troubadour’s first stab at acoustic confessionals finds him flailing in the tuneless dark, but with a glimmer of talent in those wide eyes.

Cumbrian singer-songwriter Luke ‘Justice’ Telford (yes, really) joins the hordes of delusional acoustic guitar owners convinced of their innate melodic nous and lyrical wit.

But at least he’s willing to put his head above the parapet on this earnest 12-track debut.

Flat vocals and a verbose style recall early Frank Turner, but his lyrics lack bite and grace.

There is the odd flash of interest though; A Graph Of X=Y features a neat arrangement of strings, drum machine, guitar and a sampled professor to give a bedroom-Radiohead feel to its frustrated lyrics.

Strings and drums again abet marching acoustic guitar on closing track The E-Mail, which grasps at the epic but can’t match Telford’s sentiment. A shaky start, but with a little promise.

2 stars