ROCK

Like a dozy-eyed mammal emerging post-hibernation, American rockers Brand New are resurfacing after what has seemed like a slumbersome last couple of years.

And it’s good news, for instead of catching up on 40,000 winks and conserving energy, these masters of melancholy have been busy squirreled away in the studio working on the follow-up to 2006’s The Devil and God are Raging Inside of Me.

Purveyors of introspective alternative rock that dodges between distortion pedal rattling rock outs and acoustic musings, frontman Jesse Lacey and Co. amassed a devoted following back in the golden days when the inimitable Kangaroo Jack graced our movie screens and the idea of Twitter would have sounded like it came from the squiffy imagination of that swaying man in the bus stop.

In 2003, Brand New’s sophomore album was released and so was the seminal single ‘Sic Transit Gloria … Glory Fades’, a track enjoying classic quiet/loud synergy and rather sumptuous vocal layering. And let us not forget about that bassline.

It’s a sure-fire song to reduce the rabid crowd to a bunch of Tiggers whilst ‘Sowing Season’ showcases their more atmospheric side and makes for an engaging live performance. But with Brand New’s upcoming fourth album gestating well and ready to be unleashed soon, there’s surely the chance of some new material being showcased. Or brand new material, should we say. Either way, it’s bound to leave us pondering why the gits haven’t been to Scotland since way back in 2007. The cheek.