The new year is not even a month old (well it is now, but not as we write) and we have already got two albums that could still be favourites at the end of the year. One is Frank Carter (see elsewhere) and the other is this.

Menace Beach are certainly confident — they open their album with (though it may be pretend) false starts and studio chat. It’s a tight but distorted psychedelic sound that’s very full on, though the sound changes through the record.

The opening song Give Blood reminded us of the Dead 60s, a tight and loud ska-punk band from a decade ago, who sadly disappeared (last heard of working in ATS). The opening couple of songs on here are Dead 60s-ish in sound if not genre: clipped, crisp snare-led distorted psychedelic rock.

We would also put money on the fact that they like Secret Machines, the noisiest band we ever did see, who are brain-mashingingly super-loud. The title track and a couple of others see the kick drum turned up in the mix and the bass guitar following it, Machines style. We can’t be wrong on this; the lyrics in Lemon Memory clearly say “sad and lonely” in one place, that being the name of Secret Machines’ best song. There is also some wonky keyboard with the riff from Groove Armada’s At The River (“If you’re fond of sand dunes”).

Elsewhere on the album it goes poppier and a bit Flaming Lips. It’s very good in parts, but tails off towards the end; still worth a listen: try Give Blood or the title track.

Don’t rely on memory: