Six Nation State – ‘Six Nation State’ (Jeepster) Released 24/09/07

Part of the bands magic is their ability to constantly chop, change, mix and match, without loosing direction. One on one narrative's that smack of raw honesty pull you in and once there, it’s very difficult to leave. It’s not all pent-up vicious tension, but plenty of open sincerity, especially through the likes of ‘Where Are You Now’ and ‘So Long’. Double bluffing verse and chorus construction, clever timing, a sense of invincibility and in the case of ‘Don’t Need You Anymore’ a fantastic love song full of self-assurances and agonising acceptance. As if to make a point follows ‘Blow Your Mind’; brandishing their trademark brutal flair, like many of the tracks, you’ll remember it as being more aggressive than it actually is, waiting for an explosion that the band have masterfully tamed and singing it back with more vigour than the original.

‘Six Nation State’ concludes with the striking ‘We Could Be Happy’. Oozing clear-cut romanticism that makes no distinction between friend and lover and unashamedly pitting hope against hope (“We could be happy if we try, We could be happy yeah you and I, We’ll chase the stars out of the sky, We’re crossing boarders yeah you and I”) it’s the perfect end to a perfect album. But it’s not quite over yet. An anonymous hidden track reveals a calculated sting in the tail. Slow bursts of creeping guitar reply in stark contrast to the beauty of ‘We Could Be Happy’ and provide an uncertain full stop.

It’s an effortlessly creative debut with metered and justified aggression moulded around one central point; write about what you know. It’s this basic formula that accentuates this audacious assault’s many qualities and one that should prove to be the launching point for a new musical phenomenon.