Is it grunge? Is it punk? Could it be indie? I can’t really tell but Hot Shorts’ self-titled debut album is pretty cool. They do hail from Manchester but The Hot Shorts aren’t your typical Manc band – they actually remind me a hell of lot of The Front Bottoms with their American style vocals and thrashing flange guitars.

The album opens with the track ‘You Left Me In The Disco’, a short little anthem that kicks off the album at speed. You can tell this is a tune that gets crowds going at shows. Most of the songs from this LP start the same way; a bass line you could chew like a toffee and echoing feedback to connect them to influences such as Pixies.

Debut albums are an important part of a band’s career – you have to sum up your band in nine to twelve tracks, and Hot Shorts have done just that. Their melodies are truly infectious and their songs have really cool connections to social culture in this day and age. And, with their unconventional singing style, they get their point across while still connecting with their audience on an entertainment level.

The eponymous debut album from Hot Shorts is out now via Super Smash Hit Records.