The Phantom Band: Strange Friend

Fans of The Phantom Band will be well aware that the word "strange" goes hand in hand with their music. But friendly? The Glaswegians' long-awaited third album maintains their practice of creating offbeat indie songs, but with the unexpected addition of eerie folk, spacey sci-fi synth ballads (No Shoes Blues is a collision of Twin Peaks and 1970s John Carpenter soundtracks) and electronic experimentation. There are moments of messiness, when the sextet pack too much into a song and consistency is a problem, but Clapshot is an undoubted highlight, driven by a thrilling Krautrock urgency reminiscent of a carnival ride gone berserk. Sweatbox, meanwhile, sounds like a Scottish folk air set to a psychedelic garage-rock backing track. The Phantom Band take some getting to know, admittedly – but then again, the most lasting friendships always do. phantomband.co.uk

Download: Clapshot, Sweatbox