The Hot Puppies - Under The Crooked Moon

Ah, Britpop. Where did those heady days of beer-swigging simplicity go? Well let's ask The Hot Puppies, whose new record 'Under The Crooked Moon' invokes the emotive ascendancy of 1995. Shamelessly pilfering from an era of Shed 7 and Sleeper, the Welsh sextet has produced an album of goody-two-shoes pop prattle that coyly shuffles into the realm of 'classic' indie. With her Morrissey–esque crooning, vocalist Becki Newman cutely charms thirteen breezy tracks that, much like heroin, seem so passé. The bittersweet Terry is an insufferable ballad about dastardly men that tip-toes like an agnostic Echobelly, whilst the dreary Green Eyeliner merely fosters ambivalence. However, Love or Trial sees a rippling transformation. By replacing quaint pop with scintillating synths the band are instantly galvanised; creating three minutes of wonderfully infectious euphoria. Without Britpop's influence 'Under The Crooked Moon' would be a completely different record – and that's the truth. [Billy Hamilton]