20-year-old Callum Burrows AKA Saint Raymond has a lot going for him with his debut album. Young Blood is not only the title of the record but the very target his music is aimed at – youthful, hedonistic, Instagram-obsessed millennials. The Nottingham-bred singer/songwriter has come a long way since having his first single named ‘Hottest Record in the World’ by Zane Lowe in January 2014.It’s really the well-polished pop hooks that make his music so irresistible and has gained Saint Raymond a bit of a following. The sensational ‘I Want You’ is the clear frontrunner of the record alongside feelgood opening number ‘Letting Go’. The strong melodies present on Young Blood have arrived just in time for midsummer festival season.

While the production is pristine, this isn’t what you’d come to expect from an artist such as Burrows. In all honesty, this is pop through and through – and when you look at Young Blood in that way, it becomes a much more pleasant experience. Title track ‘Young Blood‘ and fellow single ‘Come Back To You‘ are real gems amongst some very samey album tracks.

There is a down side to aiming all your music at the somewhat flaky, disposable youth of today. With a deluxe version coming in at 17 tracks long, there are enough songs here for a listener to pick and choose what they want to hear. Will anyone reach tracks like the smoky, restrained ‘This Town’?

The other problem is there are only so many ways you can listen to lyrics such as ‘we’ll only be as young as we are now’ as sung on ‘As We Are Now’, without feeling like you’re hearing the same message over and over. By the time you hit ‘Brighter Days’ you’ll feel completely out of touch from your youth; bonus tracks may just send you over the edge.

What Saint Raymond is unfortunately lacking is an element of maturity. Anyone with an ounce of it will roll their eyes at some of the notions put across in these songs. At the same time, however, is the idea that these songs could indeed ignite the inner passions of a listener’s younger self – and that’s not a bad thin. Young Blood is a fledgling and somewhat safe debut that gives Saint Raymond a lot of room to develop into a more refined artist with time.

Standout tracks: ‘Young Blood’ / ‘I Want You’ / ‘Come Back To You’

Young Blood is available to download now from Amazon or iTunes.