SYNDICATE are enjoying the splendour of the Parr Street Studios in Liverpool, which have previously provided facilities for stars like Phil Collins.

You might feel it's a little late in the day for them to be putting the finishing touches to their debut album, The Smile Says It All, which is due out on Tuesday.

But that isn't what the popular band - whose members come from Burnley and Pendle - are doing.

Before their new CD even hits the street they are working on their next single and second album. Taking a break from the cut-and-thrust of recording the imminent single Heavy, lead guitarist Paul Yates - better known as Yeti - took time out to talk about the album, which has taken more than 18 months to emerge. He sounds surprisingly despondent.

"To be honest, we've already outgrown it. It's old hat," he said.

"We are working on the second album now - the one coming out is last year's work."

The band are understandably a little frustrated about the time it has taken to get their work across to their fans.

During their numerous tours with the likes of Cast, The Real People and Marion, they have repeatedly played the songs from the album and already have completed several tracks from the second album Roughing Up The Suspects.

However, don't be put off. For anyone but the band, the CD is a nice collection of natty two-minute pop songs.

But Yeti isn't swayed by the experience of fabulous bands like The Eels, who kept their smash single Novocaine For The Soul under wraps for FIVE years before it became a hit.

"That's a great track," he said. "But I bet they get really fed up playing it on stage. It can be soul destroying." Despite all this talk, Yeti, drummer Chris Precious, singer Damian Manville and bass player Sean Haworth are still proud of their work

The Burnley and Pendle lads just feel it doesn't show them at their best.

Yeti said: "We have developed quite a lot since we first wrote and played some of the songs.

"It's not so much an album as a brilliant picture of our career.

"We are already working on the second album and hope it will be out as early next year as possible.

"We have matured.

"Our songs now have a lot more depth to them."

If you count the time before the current Syndicate line-up emerged from the original Hate Syndicate, then things have moved quite slowly.

But the group still have a healthy following in East Lancashire and recently sold out the Burnley Mechanics at their album launch party.

Even more recently, they have been touring with The Real People but feel they have now outgrown even them.

"We are not being big headed or arrogant," Yeti said. "But I think we have now learned everything we can from The Real People. "We would never tell them 'no, this is how you do things' but I think we have moved on."

Pulse must agree with some of the band's self-criticisms.

The album does, in some ways, lack a running theme.

But it is an admirable snapshot of some excellent indie rock songs which should form part of any music fan's collection.

And as they say, things can only get better.

The Smile Says It All is due to be released by the Blackburn-based Sticky label on Tuesday.

It should be available from all good record shops.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.