As Fred & Liam get ready to bring you some fabulous photos and interviews from the NME Tour, here's Chez to fill us in on the latest release from wild boy Eugene McGuinness!

If Eugene McGuinness has passed you by without you taking a second glance, it’s time you started to pay the 22 year old Irish/Londoner some well deserved attention. With two releases under his belt, you have no excuse but to search them out. McGuinness uses his talent with words to his advantage, creating fascinating scenarios, occasionally influenced by the backdrop of past experiences, and then adding a dash of the unbelievable and his witty humour which makes you turn the volume to maximum - to the dismay of your neighbours - just to hear his vocal gymnastics pound out the playful words.

His first efforts come in the form of a short 30 minute EP; ‘The Early Learning’s Of Eugene McGuinness’, sweet and instantly enjoyable, however his second offering, the self-titled debut album, is certainly a step forward. Expanding his entourage by taking a band into the studio, it gives the album a much deeper sound, with an array of extra instruments added. There is a complementary mix of songs presented, from slow and romanticised melodies to fast-paced energetic pop fun all within the space of around 40 minutes. Highlights come in the form of ‘Fonz’, the soon to be single containing, without a doubt, the most memorable lyrics on the album, "We said farewell and we synchronized our watches/ Arranged for the meeting of our crotches", a delightful and highly infectious pop masterpiece; and ‘Those Old Black And White Movies Were True’ an astoundingly beautiful piece of music, with McGuinness’ soft crooning voice rising and falling over the words. So if there is one thing you guys should do this week its give this genre-hopping newcomer a listen.

He will be supporting The Rumble Strips on their forthcoming tour in late March/April, and new single Fonz will be released on 23rd February on Domino Records.

[MP3] Eugene McGuinness - Monsters Under The Bed
[YOUTUBE] Watch the video to Fonz here.
[MYSPACE] Visit Eugene on myspace here.
[BUY] Pre-order Fonz here.