He is from Southern California, and thus Devon Williams used to make pop-punk, but the young man has now given himself the full bard makeover. "Carefree" is jammed with singer-songwriter ditties so sweetly convincing you'd never know about Williams' suspect past.
Williams' debut album has a melodic complexity that belies its immediacy, and descends from a lineage of great music generally and unjustifiably overlooked today. Those yearning for a return to intelligent pop music – songs as gratifying on their 1,963th listen as they are memorable after their first – need look no further.