The warm, essential fuzz of yr first Blondie record blasting out of a tape boombox, bristling post-punk energy thumping through the bricks of yr big sister’s room, the life-blood that flows through all the music of yr youth and adulthood, hell, you’ll excuse me if we lose our shit just a little bit. One of our favourite contemporary groups hit big with their second album, their first for new label Sub Pop and we have an Exclusive Pink Vinyl only available via Monorail.

Sweeping Promises burst out of Lawrence, Kansas with Hunger For A Way Out, all Sleater-Kinney bass/guitar criss crossing and the powerful, soul-tinged vocal of Lira Mondal sewn into the fire of the group. Now, with Good Living Is Coming For You the band have synthesized all their influenced into what sounds like a greatest hits already. The songs almost literally bleed out the speaker cones. Instead of getting more gnarly or more pop, Sweeping Promises have taken everything that made their debut so incredible and blasted it up to 100. Right now this is sounding like the most immediate record of 2023.

Where to start? Eraser introduces the aesthetic, taut basslines and wiry guitar forging an immediate, terse post-punk groove with a loving, late 70s sheen, sounding like it was quickly smashed into a weary Cassette 4-track. By the time you get to the final coda, you realise two things: this is a great song and the band is so full of ideas, smarts and passion you just know it’s the first of many. Bub, you’re right. Shadow Me marries a kind of Devo tightness with a Nothern Soul dynamic with the result sounding like a powerful version of late 70s, early 80s power pop groups like Bangles but with Mondal’s vocal possessing a delightful flick here ajustnd there, hooking you in forever. The title track reminds us a little of Buzzcocks B-sides when they were allowed to breathe a little. On Walk In Place a massive synth bassline comes in to power the track to a muscular funk pounding, just unstoppable fun everywhere. You Shatter is so freakin’ catchy it kinda makes you wanna break everything in your room in pure moshing joy. Petit Four re-animates the spectre of Devo and B-52s, while Can’t Hide It has a massive loping bass-heavy doom power. Every song on this should be a scuffed single you bought in 1979 and can’t believe they’re from the same band.

Believe. Sweeping Promises might be the most vital, most fun and life-giving punk group there is 2023. Either way, this is one of the albums of 2023.