The Futureheads - The Chaos

“5-4-3-2-1... Go!” shout UK’s The Futureheads on opening track, The Chaos, and it’s immediately clear that, six years and four albums in, the Sunderland quartet have lost none of their urgency. This time round, along with the familiar angularity, riffs and vocal arrangements, there is an added sense of complexity to their songs and an increased depth to their lyrics.

“The negativity is ruining your sleep/It makes you want to cry on your pillow,” they say, as themes of hopelessness and apathy amid a breaking Britain run through the album. However, this is not a miserable record, but rather a rallying call. The towns may be closing down but The Chaos is an exercise in bloody-minded optimism in the face of adversity. “I’m gladly watching the walls come tumbling down/What are you pulling out your hair for?/Let’s dance as it hits the floor.”

Amid the relentless pace, there is post-punk playfulness aplenty and touches of glam rock and prog. There are moments of pure pop too, like Heartbeat Song, which temporally leaves aside social concerns for lusty, unadulterated romance. Meanwhile, I Can Do That and Struck Dumb have the kind of catchy choruses that would make Kaiser Chiefs weep with jealousy.

The Futureheads may never have reprised the impact of their first record, but The Chaos is their best album since that debut. While it would be wrong to call this a return to form - they’ve always been consistent indie performers - it does show that The Futureheads are probably as immediate and full of ideas as they’ve ever been.