Seven-piece troupe Cool Sounds take you on a detour down "Cactus Country"

Instinctively earmarking audible echoes to Chicago sad boys Whitney, early Mac DeMarco or Ariel Pink, "Cactus Country" – also the name of their forthcoming second album – dabbles in slinky and playful guitar lines, soft flourishes of synth and pulsing bass (there’s even a sneaky seagull sample in there, if you’ve got the ear for it!) “I get a vision, my body’s bursting at the seams,” vocalist and guitarist Dainis Lacey confesses in twangy tones before a deliciously glorious riff kicks in. “I got the feeling that my fear and loathing is the key”.

The experimentation in their latest single is palpable and marks a clear creative shift from offerings of earlier in the year, incorporating pitch-shifted vocals, field recordings and drum machines. "Cactus Country" also proves to be one of the less personal songs from the new album.

“The song is one of the least autobiographical, and more just playing with character – someone blind to a toxic relationship or lifestyle,” explains Lacey. “The chorus is an awakening of sorts to this. It’s an over the top, melodramatic announcement of self-worth, and a realisation of someone/something’s bullshit”.