The Loungs

This debut album from St Helens collective The Loungs sounds alternately like Super Furry Animals, Blur, The Housemartins, The Specials, Madness, The Jam and many more. And that’s just the first five minutes. It’s as if Soulwax have done one of their mix albums using all the best bits of your record collection, with styles constantly chopping and changing, sometimes in the space of one song – ‘I’m Gonna Take Your Girl’ starts off as a pretty Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci-style acoustic lament and ends like one of Dexys’ horn-driven soul stompers. The end result is one of the most exhausting but enjoyable 34 minutes you’ll spend listening to music this year. Don’t hesitate to give it a chance.

Nathaniel Cramp

7 out of 10