There’s little doubt that Funeral Shakes have made themselves a hot topic in the underground scene as of late, being highly touted by Kerrang and the like.

A meeting of members from The Smoking Hearts, Nervus and Gallows – a supergroup of sorts, to paraphrase the folk over at Musicology – the quartet have come together to make some material. The result – a self-titled album.

Debut single Over You kicks it off in a belligerent manner, being an insanely catchy number running off a full-frontal ferocity; an archetype established for the rest of the record, as demonstrated in the similarly sharp Motions. In the same vain, second single Lightning excels with a whopping chorus and the resonating battering of drums. In the writing area, Lovebirds is the pinnacle with its cynical, anti-romantic tones.

Circles is another key highlight – if not THE highlight – where the riffs are laced with an extra dose of aggression, the pace is swift and the lyrics make such a quick mark that you’ll be likely singing along before the end of your first listen. In our mind, this would be an ideal choice for their next single, assuming they haven’t considered that already.

After Gold Teeth, in which the guitars continue to shine, they take a break to provide us with sweet instrumental piece Gin Palace, and following the solid Howl, they reclaim the energy with Bon Voyage; sustained in the equally enthralled Soap. Safari satisfies with the basslines at the forefront, before sending us off nicely with You’re So Bad.

While granted, we shouldn’t be surprised considering the validated talent at the reins, but Funeral Shakes’ first endeavour is a very strong result that consistently delivers from top to bottom and justifies the hype behind them. Here’s hoping this leads to a long-term future and isn’t just a one-and-done deal.