Six years ago, Kelly Kemp, backed by Bangers, released two tracks that whetted my appetite to hear more from that combination. The Hippaes features two-thirds of Bangers with Kemp once again taking up lead vocals. Yes, there are moments where I’m reminded of that previous single but there is so much more to this collaboration than I had expected. For me, “Truffletown” is the killer track, kicking off with a beautifully sounding guitar intro and telling the tale of misplaced sexual advances whilst featuring a Fugazi-sounding refrain of “I’m in love with another.” I’d not disagree with the self-description of The Hippaes as making “music of punk origin,” as those roots are easily heard from start to finish. However, this also has a sense of weirdness previously found in the solo work of guitarist Roo Pescod and this adds up to a very winning formula. All around great stuff. –Rich Cocksedge (Keroleen, [email protected], keroleenrecords.co.uk)