Although they say you should never judge a book by its cover, I have to admit I was still expecting a Eurovision style pop explosion, when I read that Maika Makovski was part Macedonian, and part Andalucian. How wrong can you be? Maika released her debut UK single ‘Lava Love’ on April 5th, unleashing a heavy, underground rock sound for the UK audience.

‘Lava Love’ is raw, quite sensual, and suggests at punk/metal influences in places. I don’t really understand what the song is about, and it’s a bit too heavy for my more commercial tastes, but I can see exactly where this would fit in the market, so full points for that! ‘Lava Love’ is accompanied by two b-sides, and first up is ‘Oh M Ah’, and although the guitars were very fuzzy, I enjoyed this track more, thanks to the interesting lyrics, and smoother vocals. This was followed by ‘Ruled By Mars’, a track with a mix of industrial, blues/jazz, and rock influences. I had mixed feelings after listening to this track, for although the blues/jazz influence made it more original, the looped guitar riff got a bit repetitive, and the distorted vocal effects made the lyrics indistinct. Not something I would normally buy, but certainly more interesting that I expected. Maika obviously has a clear direction, and may just fill a gap in the niche market she is aiming for.

‘Lava Love’ is available now. For more information, please visit www.myspace.com/maikamakovski