Back with their third studio LP the brilliant Scottish indie rockers We Were Promised Jetpacks have burst out of the gates in rather visceral form. Recorded at the infamous Chem19 studios under the watchful eye of Paul Savage, a studio which has produced classic albums from the likes of The Twilight Sad, Admiral Fallow and King Creosote to name but a few.

Diving in headfirst opener ‘Safety In Numbers’ is a subdued start, however a particularly bassy affair. Perhaps not what we’ve become accustomed to hear from these guys in the past, don’t get us wrong though it still packs a decent punch. This subdued attitude is short lived as the band warm up and the intensity builds.

‘I Keep It Composed’ sounds unbelievably huge and intense, it is an all consuming tune with monster guitar riffs mixed with pounding tribal drums. The album is beginning to really hit its stride, whilst it’s much of what you’d expect the band have certainly grown with time. There’s a depth to the album and maturity yet they retain an intense feel and an excitement to the album.

That said ‘Night Terror’ has a slightly different sound to it, the vocals wouldn’t be out of place on an Alt J record, whilst retaining the big riffs and heavy drums that are ever present throughout the album. The stand out track though for us has to be ‘A Part Of It’ a hefty tempo shift sees an incredibly intricate rhythm attack our ears, coupled with the solemn and deep lyrics.

It’s loud, its brash but has a real depth to it and as the layers of guitars lessen the beauty of the lyrics are able to shine through. To us this has to be We Were Promised Jetpacks at their best. Yet they go on to temper it with the sprawling beauty of ‘Peace of Mind’, which is pure bliss, a superb cinematic instrumental soundscape.

As we’ve previously mentioned Unravelling sees a more mature We Were Promised Jetpacks, with intricate rhythms, intense pieces of music and some of the most beautiful and heartfelt lyrics around. Unravelling in our eyes will almost definitely see these guys reach an even larger audience.

This album could have quite easily fallen into the pile of landfill indie and the world of mediocre boredom that is occupied by so many bands right now. Thankfully it possesses something so special this will never happen, it has all of the qualities of the best bands around but it moulds them into something so exciting its hard to put the album down.

Unravelling is out now on and available from amazon and iTunes.

The Hot Five – My favourite new tracks of the week, usually rounded off with a classic, obscure or alternate track from my music collection.

Track of the week: TV On The Radio – ‘Happy Idiot’

Despite having a name worthy of a Scouting For Girls track, TV On The Radio’s latest release, new single ‘Happy Idiot’, is an upbeat, catchy track with punchy guitars and entrancing vocal hooks that makes an instant impression. ‘Happy Idiot’ is the first track taken from TV On The Radio’s new album Seeds, the band’s first album release since the death of bass player Gerard Smith in 2011 following a courageous fight against lung cancer. Seeds is set for release this autumn.

We Were Promised Jetpacks – ‘I Keep It Composed’ 

Boasting a more refined sound with their new material, indie rockers We Were Promised Jetpacks have just launched their latest single. ‘I Keep It Composed’ is taken straight from We Were Promised Jetpacks’ third album Unravelling, which was recorded at Chem19 Studios in Glasgow and is due for release on October 6. ‘I Keep It Composed’ feels more mature than previous Jetpacks material, with a well balanced sound and clever arrangement that showcases the band at their best; it’s also a great advertisement for the new album. Unravelling is available in physical and digital formats via Fat Cat Records, including a special edition yellow vinyl release. 

Fable – ‘Stranger In My Head’

At just nineteen years old, ‘Stranger In My Head’ is a seriously impressive release from Brighton’s Fable. She has recently worked with electronic acts Orbital and Archive, and you can really hear their influences on her work. Co-written and produced by Archive, the light and shade of ‘Stranger In My Head’ is superb, and the dark strength of the vocal line takes the track to a whole new level. Later you hear the real influence of Archive in the trip-hop inspired drum beat that builds the track along with vocal harmonies. Fable’s debut EP, Parasite, will be released on October 13.

The Lost Brothers – Gold and Silver

When a track opens with an acoustic guitar part that has this much character, I’m normally hooked straight away; this example of a traditional folk fable is no exception. The duo vocals tell a story of riches and greed, life and death, and precious metals in this quant track, which was produced by Bill Ryder-Jones (The Coral, Arctic Monkeys). The Lost Brothers will be playing an in-store at Rough Trade East on September 22 to mark the release of their fourth album, New Songs of Dawn and Dust, on the same day. ‘Gold and Silver’ is available as a free download via The Lost Brothers’ SoundCloud page.

Hidden track of the week: Kate Bush – ‘Wuthering Heights’

She really is the artist of the moment; Kate Bush has received unanimously positive reviews from critics and fans alike as she performs Before The Dawn at the Hammersmith Apollo in her first live dates for 35 years. On top of that, Bush also had eight entries in the UK Official Album s Chart last week, something that has only been better by The Beatles and Elvis Presley. ‘Wuthering Heights’ was Kate Bush’s debut single in 1978, and it went straight to the top of the UK Singles Chart.

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