Though for my money Wintermute are one of the best bands in Leeds at the moment, no-seems to have quite captured their tight as Russell Brand’s trousers live sound on CD or vinyl – it sounds good, but not great. Things might be different here, though. It’s produced by Duels’ James Kenosha, he of the barn out towards Whitby, and his recent work with This Et Al has been highly commendable, if final. Care to dance the math tango?

First things first, he doesn’t like to muck about with bands who like to muck about. ‘Bad Company In A Sauna’ starts halfway through a conversation and doesn’t stop to fill you in. David Hemmings’ guitar line bounces along like a Barnes Wallace bomb in miniature – small but devastating – dropping out occasionally to let Chris Newbould’s bass chat conversationally in the background. It is very Futureheads, that’s a given, but just heavy enough and erratic enough to prevent it from being labelled new rave pop. The production is crisp and tight, but effervescent and rich – like a sparkling white absinthe.

Essentially it’s just a warm up for ‘Dead Or Not He Was Wearing Sunglasses’ and ‘Spanish Girls,’ two mighty tracks. The first, riffing lightly on a Kyuss variation at double speed, jumps and starts, throwing in inspired half-riffs teasingly, putting Ben Johnson’s drumming skills to the test with it’s time changing antics and Fall-like shouts. Dan sounds more like a PiL era John Lyddon here than some kind of math-boy, throwing a healthy dash of punk into the mix. It’s one of those songs you’ll want to hear again immediately… almost like it was live. No time for that, though, as ‘Spanish Girls’ pirouettes up on spiked guitar phrases. The rhythms sound improvised, but it’s so tight that it just can’t be possible. It’s angry – David’s middle eight is shouted down continuously, but is finally allowed to escort you gracefully to the end of the song.

Unfortunately, ‘I Abandoned My Boy’ comes as a bit of a lull. It sounds too conventional, even though the guitars engage in a nice bit of counterpoint – Chris and Ben have nothing very interesting to do. Drink at the bar song. So ‘Emerald Zone Act 2’ (Sonic reference) will have you downing that pint and heading for the front again. The Ministry-like rim-tap of Ben and the coasting stoner bass of Chris give way to panicky cries from Dan and more fervent riffing from David as the swimming protagonist of the song tires. ‘Jambon! Jambon!’ rounds things off neatly, showcasing David’s finger picking and Chris’s bass chuntering, leaving Dan to scream about the ‘crackle of a cigarette’ amidst the flares and explosions of the resulting climax.

I could go on about Wintermute being a band of their time, but that’s a bit of a lame, pointless statement. They’re young, fired up and talented, playing with what they like and slapping riffs about until they fit. They’re fearless, and I think that shows on here. The vocals may be basic, but you will shout along with them; the titles don’t make any sense, but you will remember them; the boys may get compared to other bands… but they will bury them. Mark my words.

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