September Girls – Veneer EP

Eleven months after debut album Cursing the Sea established a September Girls-sound hewn from heavy reverb, fuzzy melodies and a moody noir complexion, Veneer steers the Dublin quintet into marginally darker and more turbulent waters. Though the title track buzzes with signature feedback, its mien is murkier and its hooks less immediate, suggesting the successes of the last year have had an emboldening effect.

Black Oil follows with a blizzard of distorted guitars and fevered, semi-spoken vocals, before Melatonin slinks into view with a nursery rhyme cadence that lurks just shy of the shadows. Only closing track Butterflies is found wanting, rounding out the EP in solid rather than exemplary fashion; otherwise, Veneer reveals a band seemingly growing in confidence by the day. [Chris Buckle]