Stunningly, the band seem to be getting themselves back to the thrones they threw themselves off in 2004. 'Bells of Creation' is a piano-lead track reminding me of band friends, Mogwai, and their song 'I Know You Are But What Am I?', albeit a lot more powerful. It's a relief to hear a track where they're not trying too hard, where things are stripped down for the most part, and tempestuous in others.

'Inland Sea' follows suit similarly, with being a piano-driven track. Conrad Keely seems more reflective, the lyrics "Wake up, wake Up/Remind yourself exactly who you were...", will strike any fan back to 'Will You Smile Again' but this time it feels more like he's talking to himself than to his muse Brian Wilson.

'Festival Thyme' however points to a less enjoyable influence that's been seeping into their recent work uncomfortably, The Pogues. It's not worked for them in the past so it's disappointing to see them still have a pop at it, only to see that it still doesn't work here. Perhaps Conrad feels obliged to seep in these homages to his Irish ancestry? 'The Betrayal of Roger Casement & the Irish Brigade' follows and is probably a more tasteful link to his Irish roots. The instrumental is a big departure to the songs on their past couple of albums, especially when a bunch of sci-fi sounding synthesisers gulp up the track halfway through to obliterate the ethereal, celestial moments that happened before it.

If the last two albums were a bit nightmare-ish to you, then this EP will hopefully represent the band waking from the nightmare in a sweaty panic. We'll see what the album entails, but for now my hopes are definitely set higher than they were. Fingers crossed the artwork gets better too...!