D.I.D – The State We're In

First noticed chanting “We are a mess, we are failures and we love it” with the cast of Skins back in the ancient past of 2011, D.I.D now return with sophomore album The State We’re In. Of course, in those simpler times, they were called Dog is Dead, and that song had a glockenspiel in it so they called it Glockenspiel Song. These days it’s all acronyms and opaque titles like I Meant to Hurt You. Yeah, what a state we’re in.

The best thing about this Nottingham squad’s new record is its capacity to surprise. Debut All Our Favourite Stories fell into some telltale indie traps, more a collage than a synthesis of its big bro touchpoints (Local Natives, Arcade Fire, Mystery Jets), and cashed in on that emerging trend of world-beat-meets-rock played by nice boys. The State We're In meanwhile – amid a clutch of dry safety tracks like Funnybones, Big Lie and Flush – flicks out some unexpected aces.

Opener Fast Food is already tighter, brighter and shinier than anything from their debut; lead single Killer Whale is a future-classic-wolf dressed in radio-play-sheep’s clothing. Hotel comes in sideways with Black Keys-flavour distortion, and Gameplan – after three minutes nicked from Teleman’s songbook – whips out some hip-hop-esque plucked guitar. If only the whole album fizzed with this kind of ingenuity – there’d be an extra star up there.

Listen to: Fast Food, Killer Whale