On an initial approach of song titles such as 'Dead or Not, He Was Wearing Sunglasses' and the celebration of French charcuteries 'Jambon! Jambon!', one may be forgiven for thinking this Leeds quartet are little more than a comedy tribute act of the Flight of the Conchords or a psychedelic Chas n' Dave ilk.

Fear not. Despite their irreverent titles, Wintermute are not a band to discard with a flippant aside or questioning, raised eyebrow. Nor are they a band easily pigeonholed. From the fragmented opening bars of this their debut EP, it is clear that alternative is what they aim for, as the awkward nerd rock of 'Bad Company in a Sauna' starts and stutters between Foals' staccato guitars and Forward Russia!'s drum thrash and shouted vocals. The comparisons with their Leeds contemporaries remain throughout, particularly on the slow tempo grunge of 'I Abandoned My Boy! (Hello Nuts)', while showing they can do nimble melody too on the jerk pop of 'Dead or Not…'.

The standout moment is clearly on the new wave hardcore of 'Spanish Girls', with a chorus verging on the fist punchingly epic but remaining firmly grounded in its inability to continue in one direction for more than a verse. The early punk sloganeering of the Manics even comes to mind, only with even more ambition. It's all frenetically intense stuff, and in the wrong hands this alt-rock can all too easily become un-listenable noise. Thankfully, Wintermute know just what they're doing.

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