Mascot Fight

All c86 jangle and Belle and Sebastian feyness, this four-piece from Derby / Newcastle like to keep things neat yet full of noisy power. Like the band’s name, their silly titles conjure up a sense of fun – ‘In The Mouth a Dessert’ is a Pavement homage in name only, though sharing some of their ragged lo-fi-nesse, while ‘title track’ Vanuatu is kind of Camera Obscurish in its wide-eyed optimism.
Lyrically they’re not laugh-out-loud, more just wry and wittily clever – “That mistake that cost your life is one that you do not make twice” a choice couplet, among many – if you like your pop that at once doesn’t take itself too seriously but which has a knowing intelligence about it, then look no further.