Hooton Tennis Club thrive on the verge of collapse

Despite being about the death of singer Ryan Murphy’s grandfather who passed away just weeks before it was written, it’s a perfect pop tune: opening with hazy jangling guitars, jammed with Teenage Fanclub circa-Bandwagonesque melodies, and closing with a sloppy guitar solo that could fall apart at any moment. The “Jesus and Mary Chain noise” which the band set out to create in their early days had morphed into something else entirely.

The Wirral foursome - Murphy, guitarist James Madden, bassist Callum McFadden and drummer Harry Chalmers - have almost a dream of a back story; forming in 2013, recording demos under the eye of The Farm's bass player Carl Hunter and signing to Heavenly Records on the back of their debut gig - all within six months.

"Jasper" was one hell of a debut single, but the band followed it up with another golden gem in the shape of "Kathleen Sat On the Arm of her Favourite Chair", which takes its cues from the melodic side of Pavement and lo-fi slacker sensibilities of Parquet Courts. Things boded well from the off for their album Highest Point in Cliff Town, so it’s no surprise that the band have turned in an impressive first effort. These twelve bitter-sweet tracks are packed with bright pop hooks and jubilant melodies, just about sellotaped together with fuzz and rendered endearingly on the verge of constant collapse. The band have been open about the fact it’s “part of their charm” to leave the bum notes, mistakes and fuck-abouts in the mix – see the vocal silliness at the slowed-down end of "I’m Not Going Roses Again"- and the result is a record that sounds raw, honest and a hell of a lot of fun.

"Fall In Love" is unspeakably 90s, breathless and exuberant pop in thrall to indie janglers The Groove Farm, Biff Bang Pow and Gin Blossoms while things take a slackened turn on the breezy "Barlow Terrace" which doffs its cap to The Dandy Warhols. Lyrics veer off at strange tangents; when he’s not singing about hanging out with mates and “making a mess” or whatever else you do at that age, Murphy’s announcing “I’ve spent the best days of my life travelling on trains and drawing cartoons”. The next moment he’s advising a sad friend: “If you’re lonely we can go for a walk in the park, or maybe go swimming.”

Standout track "P.O.W.E.R.F.U.L P.I.E.R.R.E" is equally as ridiculous with Murphy singing about straining tea leaves leading into a desperately catchy chorus, not to mention baggy enough to have appeared on Peace’s Happy People and sees Madden trowel on liberal jabs of Blur-style guitars. It’s brilliant and whisper it - almost good enough to give "Jasper" a run for its money for that single of the year title.