Despite changing its name in the midst of recording its new album, the IV Thieves (formerly Nic Armstrong and the Thieves) has created a CD just as exuberant as its first. The band’s sophomore effort, If We Can’t Escape My Pretty, is arena-ready rock at its best and is bound to please any British rock fan. The CD kicks off with the soaring lead single “You Can’t Love What You Don’t Understand,” a guitar-heavy, tambourine-laden track that sets the mood for the rest of the album. Other standouts include “Higher,” a hauntingly irresistible song with a stirring chorus and the closing track “Chase Me Off/Out,” which combines slick harmonies with rousing riffs. Bolstered by an album exploding with an abundance of possible hits, the IV Thieves seem poised for superstardom. Grade: A-
— Charlie Adelman, Muse Contributing Writer