There’s something truly frustrating about a decent mini album. It’s of course a relief to hear that it holds up, or in some cases proves to be a genuinely impressive addition to a band’s release history, but this in itself creates an exasperated disdain for the fact that before you’ve had your fill, it’s over. It’s both a blessing and a curse, and for Bleeding Heart Narrative‘s recent five-tracker, Bison, it couldn’t be more applicable.

As a band that have never shied away from the tried-and-tested “start quiet, get louder” method, it’s easy to expect more of the same hazy ambience and hallucinatory soundscapes as they follow 2009′s Tongue Tangled Hair, their second full-length album. Bison, however, is something of an evolution. The inventively titled ‘HAL Passes The Turing Test’ features enormous stylistic nods towards the more Foals side of indie in its firmly plucked guitar snippets, accompanied by deliciously staggered drums and some of the most vast and fierce string orchestration you are likely to find on a modern release. This utterly astounding track stands out not just on the EP but from the band’s entire back catalogue, and could quite possibly be considered one of the best songs of the year.

Move on and the tone changes dramatically, with ‘Mysterious Cults’ showing Bleeding Heart Narrative’s penchant for a blend of heart-rendingly thick, string-laden ambience and catchy vocal hooks, draped artfully over the savage-like beating of what sounds like a few dozen drums. Whether intentionally or not, there is a substantial echoing of Arcade Fire in this track, although this far from detracts from its appeal. In a manner that very few bands manage, Bleeding Heart Narrative’s strings sound absolutely personal to them and not for a second like hired hands, which, when coupled with the heavily folk-influenced vocals, is arguably what makes them the unique collective they are.

‘Not The Bees My Eyes’ closes the mini-album beautifully calmly after the ethereal aura of ‘Ghost Cats Disappear Into The Night’, as soft melodies are cooed over harmonious beeping and raindrop-like percussion. It’s surprisingly nice to realise, as the warm strings gracefully slide in to take control of the electronic groundwork, that the unobtrusive indie loveliness of opening track ‘Shoals’ seems a distant memory; proving just how brilliantly diverse a five-track EP can be when its creators are truly inventive and unwilling to settle for even an ounce of filler.