Angelpie I Think I Ate Your Face

Art punk soundsculptors Estel have already wowed and wooed a limited edition legion of ardent admirers with a lovingly homecrafted and homemade 7". Now it’s debut album time and the artefact in question, Angelpie I Think I Ate Your Face, is worthy of the wait and expectation

It slides into life on 'Nutpufragies (By the Sea)' with gentle and gorgeous synthesized strings and one of the most distinctive drumming styles you'll find this side of Steve Shelley or Todd Trainer. Estel explore all the creepy possibilities making a lovely racket involves – at times dreamy ('Little Red Rock Star'), sometimes cacophonous ('Push the Nut Button') and occasionally utterly sublime ('Homebase', ‘Chronicles Of Naz').

'Chronicles of Naz', in particular, is an awesome five minute snapshot of a band unit completely coming into their own. Spooky nursery keyboard chimes and delicate guitar strokes are punctuated by a magnificently moody bass line and another superb drumming performance. And to beautifully cap it off, a long and lovely electronic hum of an outro is haunting in the extreme.

'Someone Should Blow That Sick Fuck (Out of His Socks)' would be the prime candidate here for an instrumental anthem to have 'em air-guitaring in the aisles, even if the primal guitar riff is a little too reminiscent of the Mogwai classic 'Christmas Steps'. It’s very easy to forgive Estel for that minor blip, because Angelpie... is virtually faultless, and when was the last time you heard a first album this good? A weird, wonderful and wicked debut.