‘The Big Roar’ lives up to its title the off; spiralling in on the clattering opening bars of ‘The Everchanging Spectrum of a Lie’ and providing a joyous wall of sound from thereonin. Their Big Sounds Epic Noises schtick certainly makes for one almighty roar. The real joy, though, is that, underneath the widescreen tendencies, there’s a lightness of touch and lyrical depth that ensure that the Welsh three-piece never end up dipping into vacuous Editors-lite territory. With a Breeders-esque knowing wink, and Ritzy Bryan’s sonorous croon at the helm, the likes of sprawling highlight, ‘Whirring’, are as deft as they are dark. If Sky Larkin took a turn for Interpol, the result wouldn’t be far off ‘I Don’t Want To See You Like This’, whilst ‘Austere’ is all Pixies basslines and cooing vocals before crashing into one mahoosive chorus and ‘The Greatest Light is the Greatest Shade’ checks out with one glorious slow-burn. True, The Joy Formidable certainly have a musical formula, but it’s all adding up to something pretty special at the moment.

Lisa Wright