Savages: Silence Yourself

A post-punk quartet in the permafrost tradition of Joy Division, Savages explode out of the speakers, funereal bass segueing into blasts of sheet metal guitar. There isn’t much variety – singer Jehnny Beth’s default emotional setting seems to be dolorous fury – but goodness, she gives good frontwoman.

On ‘Husband’, Beth spits and snarls like a Twitter-era Ian Curtis as the music rises from a portentous swell to a cathartic shriek. ‘Shut Up’ and ‘City’s Full’ channel Siouxsie & The Banshees and Public Image. Nothing here is madly original – but the sheer, physical force of the songs is hard to overstate. Thrilling, exhausting, gut wrenching – you get 40 minutes of the most unforgettable outsider rock you’ll encounter this year.

Key Track: ‘Husband’