Over a decade on from their first releases, Magik Markers don’t really sound any better do they? Wait…I don’t mean that they’re a rubbish band, oh no. The core duo of Elisa Ambrogio and Pete Nolan have always plied a fine trade in ramshackle noise-rock, slowly transforming from their Sonic Youth inspired beginnings through a series of CD-Rs to the band we have now: simpler, self-contained but still burning, ready to burst apart at any moment. It’s just that it’s always sounded like Ambrogio and Nolan were recording into a bucket, down a drain somewhere

The albums BOSS and Balfe Quarry signalled the start of a change; grooves came into focus, the fuzz and noise subsided a bit (of course they kept the reverb) and Magik Markers began to become a really excellent psych rock act. That progression continues here, as they add bassist John Shaw to occasionally anchor the flights of fancy on latest release Surrender to the Fantasy.

Ambrogio is quoted as saying this record is the one that’s been mostly influenced by the band’s previous work, and it really does show. Created out of jamming in basements, swapping instruments (Ambrogio took over on Nolan’s drums for some songs, while he cut loose on guitar) and going with the flow, Surrender to the Fantasy positively stomps out of the box with “Crebs”; it’s the sound of the most primitive of drumming and the most basic of fuzz-drenched riffs and Ambrogio’s slightly stoned delivery all combining to create something that’s basically pop music, but pop music that slowly destroys itself with feedback and noise. On “Acts of Desperation” a Keef-through-Neil Hagerty bluesy guitar line meanders, an out of tune harmonica blows while Ambrogio ad-libs lines before repeating the chorus of “these acts of desperation pay”, almost become a band mantra, before “Bonfire” lets loose with some surf-rock drumming and girl-group chanting that Sleigh Bells would kill for right now.

The development of Magik Markers into so much more is encapsulated by their sweetest song to date: “Mirrorless” recalls the free-spirited Jackie-O Motherfucker at their most laid back on a song that’s ever-so-slightly countrified. It’s nothing more than simple slide, strums and picks, and Ambrogio crooning (and sounding as good as she ever has) over percussive taps on the body of a guitar, leading to a gorgeous outro solo. Nothing fancy, basically all off-the-cuff but it’s proper genius. As if to reassure older fans that they’ve not lost their edge completely, Magik Markers follow up this moment of loveliness with the pure noise jam of “American Sphinx Face”, all instinctive drumming, free jazz guitar and nonsense lyrics – but no less wonderful than the previous track.

“Young” revisits the quiet blues of “Mirrorless”, while “Empire Building” introduces some ambient synth noise for a hazy, drugged-out feel before “WT” ends the record with some drunken sparring between Ambrogio’s guitar and Nolan’s primal drumming, and the first and only time on the record we hear the pair duetting.

At a time when we’re unlikely to hear new records from the likes of Sonic Youth or Royal Trux, it’s time we started to cherish the music of Magik Markers. Surrender to the Fantasy is a timely reminder that Elisa Ambrogio and Peter Nolan are a truly talented pair of musicians, making some of the best noise-rock you’re likely to find in either the US or on these shores.