There is a sense that Glasgow rockers Gun have been straining at the leash to deliver their first new album in seven years, sharing the frustrations of their fellow tour-hardened road warriors. At its best, Hombres sounds suitably hungry and ready to roll. All that pent-up post-pandemic energy is released on opening track ‘All Fired Up’. A quasi-gothic intro leads into a crunching riff and the band motor right along the Sunset Strip, waving to Billy Idol as they go, enjoying some good dumb chugging action.

The rest of the album follows suit in a doing-what-they-do-best spirit. The lighter-waving ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ boasts a strong singalong hook, not dissimilar to Primal Scream’s caveman rocking moments, while ‘Take Me Back Home’ has that soused nostalgia baked into its title. The full classic rock menu is on offer here, from the glam swagger of ‘Fake Life’ via the soulful Stonesy rootsiness of ‘You Are What I Need’ to the power balladry of ‘A Shift In Time’ and straight-up catchy, commercial rock of ‘Coming Back To You’, while ‘Pride’ provides some Caledonian bite.

Hombres is committed and consistent and some playful highlights emerge. The mean snarl and hoary power rock chorus of ‘Never Enough’ dissects feelings with a blunt instrument and the rip-roaring 70s classic rocking action of ‘Wrong To Be Right’ delivers gonzo attitude and an ‘oh yeah’ outro. It’s all very meat and potatoes but that is still a satisfying meal for many a rock fan.

Gun: Hombres is released by Cooking Vinyl on Friday 12 April; Gun are on tour Friday 12–Saturday 27 April.