Music genres eh? We all know they’re for musicologists rather than fans, but with the average attention-span ever decreasing, or so it would seem, try we must. Glaswegian quartet Laki Mera would probably be defined as “downtempo” or even trip-hop if that term didn’t feel quite so outdated. And, while the pace is slow and the atmospherics a hazy, dreamy bubble there are enough hints at paranoid overtones throughout this EP to keep things interesting.

Vocalist and founding member Laura Donnelly also assists in making sure such fragile music doesn’t get swept away in the swells of traffic that accompany many a headphoned commute. ‘How Dare You’ is the highlight vocally, although it’s the opening ‘She’s A Day Later’ that finds the band at their most effectively minimal; concocting a sound that falls somewhere between the whispered minimalism of the xx and the glitchy percussion and abrasive electronica that characterised Portishead’s recent work.

Donnelly is ever the focal point and she manages a charming vulnerability a la Bjork while retaining control of each song. It’s a welcome reminder that a vocalist who keeps your attention without needing to yammer like a foghorn will be one that is listenable for the longer term.

Only ‘Zeuhl!’ Sees the standard drop as the bass gets funkier and a misadvised concoction of processed strings and gregorian chanting take centre stage as the subtly and atmosphere of the previous tracks is temporarily lost.

‘No Motion’ finds Donnelly back to the fore and it’s a welcome return as sultry pads and whirrs surge beneath her poised vocal musings. Clutter paints a picture of a band who are clearly still a work in progress, and the nature of the music they are making means that the production will need to step up significantly to match their peers. However, there is plenty of potential here and, in Donelly they have a performer who is naturally captivating – not an easy thing to find one which makes the thought of a full length debut in sight all the more enticing.