The Rakes are London’s most switched-on, keyed-up young band. Way back when – in 2005 – they were lauded for their way with an observant lyric. The short-sharp-shock of their first album, Capture/Release, was steeped in the speedy buzz of punk, but they also had an intellectual heft and curiosity missing from many contemporaries at the time.

Their recent release Ten New Messages is about communication and travel, about moving through the modern world. It’s real life, as opposed to globalised existential angst and pretension. The new album is as lean as the band themselves: Donohoe (vocals), Matthew Swinnerton (guitar), Jamie Hornsmith (bass), Lasse Petersen (drums). But there’s a lyrical muscularity – and also an ambiguity – about them that adds a punch as ferocious and/or as focused as the playing.

The Rakes are economical with their writing: they work on the songs they need, that are good enough to pass muster. Focus on the job at hand. Be right. Be tight. Be concise. Their songs – sharp, to the point, meaningful, glorious – will see to that.

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