From the startling drum roll of the opening few seconds on first track, Hit It Out The Park,Son (their new single - released April 13th) – it’s evident that Jack Butler are a discernible force to be reckoned with. The Stirling-based four-piece are set to cement their status as one of the freshest bands in Scotland with the release of their long awaited debut album Fit the Paradigm. First single, Are You A Hustler? has been paving the way for a grand reception by garnering encouraging reviews - allgigs.co.uk calling it, “a riotous fanfare of electrics and pulsing drum beats that punctuate the air like heavy rain on a tin roof”,as well as enjoying airplay on Sky TV's Soccer AM and Radio One.

Harking back to the early post-punk of the 1980s, previous single, Boy Vs Beast is a highly original slice of art-funk with infectious guitars, dynamic bass and powerful hooks. In contrast, Just Fit The Paradigm is a quirky, despairing pastiche of the generic nature of teenage life, music and consumerism layered over deeply textured guitar-work and a brass refrain. The angularity of the guitars often attracts comparisons to fellow Scots rockers Franz Ferdinand and Orange Juice but there is something far more colourful to the arrangements – He Got No Game is a shrewd, jagged-edged confrontation. Other tracks such as Velvet Prose and Let’s Testify exemplify a soulful and expressive aspect with their raw yet stirring melodies and poignant lyrics. Continuing this tone, the twinkling opening synths of Surgery 1984 (Operations I & II), together with grand and graceful guitars lend this track a poised, elegiac quality akin to the stadium-esque feel of Bloc Party, Interpol and Arcade Fire but still with its own unique twist.

Throughout this esteemed record, an electro sheen saturates many of the tracks lending them a 1980s vintage sound, but they remain firmly rooted in modernity. The album is a colourful array, bursting with full-on aural delights with something for every ear whether you’re looking for the eccentric or the anthemic. With this debut, Jack Butler make an unquestionably powerful musical statement. Impossible to ignore, it is a clear indication that the band should have a flourishing future.

(Claire Gilligan)