C Turtle are one of the latest bands to mine the cooler side of ’80s/’90s indie to create a tasty melange of chaos and melody. However, unlike most London bands of the last five years, they’ve opted for a more Americanised sound of noise/punk/grunge, rather than the British post-punk du jour. There’s few rubbery basslines here; you’re more likely to find wailing feedback. However, the simple, bludgeoning lyrics and blunt imagery speak neatly to our modern malaise.

The dual vocals of Cole Flynn Quirke and Mimi McVeigh are used to excellent effect throughout, especially on opener Have You Ever Heard a Turtle Sing? and Shake It Down. Sometimes it’s in unison, but often McVeigh will provide the more melodic side of the song, while Quirke is free to scream and shout. The tonal shifts produced by these moments (e.g. “Don’t drag me down…with love!!!!!”) are brilliant jolts of energy that are used sparingly, a great take on the done-to-death Pixies quiet/loud dynamic.

That isn’t to say there isn’t a bit of derivation at play here: Shake It Down’s sweet/abrasive dichotomy is pure Breeders (or Splendora?) and the frequent feedback-laden moments of chaos are reminiscent of Sonic Youth. And overall there’s a general vibe of slapdash DIY fun that recalls Guided by Voices (particularly More Insects and How Many Birds). There’s even one song that wears its sugary melody so prominently (Melvin Said This) that it could be a twee, reverby Slumberland cut (everyone remembers The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, right?).

There’s still heaps of originality here, though, despite the clear influences. One way in which the band surprise is their general ramshackle approach and refusal to temper their experimental tendencies. The first seven songs are all good to excellent “normal” songs, bar one quick carnival interlude, but then they stack three “abnormal” cuts in a row. Shooby and Harry Knew How To Fly are essentially consecutive interludes, a loose patchwork of cut-up voices, synth bloops and tinny percussive thwacks. So far, so weird, but to then follow it with Noise Thing – six and a bit minutes that does exactly what it says on the tin – is worthy of respect even if it isn’t quite your cup of tea.

On balance, this is an evidently unbalanced debut album. But the first half barnstormers hit all the right spots, while the back half demonstrates a band that are going to forge their own path, while also being able to genuinely upend expectations. Don’t sleep on C Turtle.