Some promising poppy post-hardcore from Home Counties homeboys You Know The Tens is marred by sloppy playing on their first EP, er, First.

Hard-to-pigeonhole prog-pop-electro-rock quartet Pure Reason Revolution are back; prepare to be smashed flat with moody bliss between Hammer & Anvil.

Yes, Mum Locked In Castle is their real name. Luckily their music isn’t as awful as that name would suggest, but it’s only likely to excite Incubus’ legal team.

Much-lauded grunge revivalists Dinosaur Pile-Up roll into Manchester, proving themselves to be capably raucous and angsty, but regrettably samey.

Sludge-pop progenitors Torche have returned – though their new EP/album Songs For Singles is more short sharp heavy pop than sludge, most of the time.

Don’t let the hipster imagery put you off too much: Tweak Bird have got all the glorious dumb noise-riffola but not much of the irony on their debut album.

Strip Pendulum of what little authenticity and passion they have, and graft on a load of C-list “featured” vocalists. Voila – you just created The Qemists.

Synthetic rockers The Culprit might be a little too glossy for this jaded hack, but their eponymous album might turn the heads of younger less cynical listeners.

Blue Sky Noise may not have the lush shoegazey production of Circa Survive‘s last album, but for goodness’ sake don’t let that put you off this gem of a record.

Taqwacore poster-boys The Kominas demonstrate that the movement isn’t all about noise and rage with this simple and infectious batch of punk-tinged pop songs.