Penguins Kill Polar Bears – Vessels & Veins EP

Vessels & Veins is the second EP from plucky Linlithgow outfit Penguins Kill Polar Bears, whose sound marries dense rock riffs à la Pelican or Jesu, with a thick Scots brogue usually more common among indie-leaning bands like The Twilight Sad. Here they take an entirely different tack than was heard on last year's Dawn EP, cultivating a more organic studio sound, while pushing frontman Ben Proudlock's vocals to the fore.

The band also boasts a superb guitar and rhythm section, ensuring a sonically explosive soundscape, as on opener Lungs and the weighty Between The Tide; while Proudlock's vocals lend their tunes an unlikely mixture of mosh-pit and radio appeal. A solid effort, which bodes tantalisingly for a full-length release. [Martin Skivington]