official secrets act, hot chip and more - singles for THE week beginning may 5!

THESE NEW PURITANS / SWORDS OF TRUTH (ANGULAR) There’s a hint of 1980s Sci Fi to this single, as if the Terminator is about to rise from the ashes of a fire and lay waste to a suburb with a milli-gun. Sinister vibes aside, this slice of math-rock is a teeny bit clinical and could do with a soul injection. EFFI BRIEST / LONG SHADOW (LOOG) Pounding tribal drums, mentally ill sounding guitars and desperate female vocals lead us through this compelling track. Based in Brooklyn, this group have toured with Sunburned Hand of the Man, and they share a similar knack for being improvisational and thrillingly dramatic. HOT CHIP / ONE PURE THOUGHT (EMI) Despite featuring a nice Depeche Mode-esque chorus, this doesn’t quite hammer it home with anything else. Still, the fruity and tropical rhythms are echoed in the lyrics, which reference the Macarena. How’s that for a juxtaposition? WHITE LIGHT PARADE / TURNING ALL THE LIGHTS DOWN (SPLIT) This could have come straight out of the soundtrack to Teachers - it’s a traditional laddy indie anthem with a quasi-romantic chorus. Despite wreaking of lager, stupidity and the mid 1990s, it’s quite good fun in a Bluetones Vs Clash kinda way. THE FAVOURS / ONE UP ON YOU (STONE TRAX) This band are a bit like a slicker version of L7: meaty power chords, punk drumming and a slightly gothic female vocal. It’s got a snappy chorus, but the flash sounding production let’s it down in the credibility department. OPERAHOUSE / DIANE (MARRAKESH) As far as I can tell, the jist of this song is that Diane is a bit freaked out by life, so Operahouse are gonna ask her to come ALIVE! by going mental with their super-speed poppyness. This is great in terms of enthusiasm, but it feels sadly unremarkable come the end.