(Beggars Banquet)
Formed from the cast-offs of trance-rockers Spiritualized, Lupine Howl move to a deeper, beefier groove than their former paymasters and that makes for a disjointed but strangely satisfying debut.
And nowhere is satisfaction more guaranteed than on the opening Vaporizer where Memphis blues meets electronica in a cracking call-and-response romp. It's the equal of anything Primal Scream ever put their name to.
But after such a promising start, they prove they're only human with the dreadful third single, 125, while the deliciously titled, but ultimately hard-to-stomach, The Jam That Ate Itself, signs-off on a bitter and twisted note.
On a lyrical level, darkness lurks in every corner. The personal bitterness is almost tangible on the mesmerisingly funky Planet X, while the swampy 10-minute plus Carnival - one of the sets' searing standouts - is a backhanded swipe at Spiritualized puppet master Jason Pierce.
Think Kula Shaker on bad acid. But, for the most part, Lupine Howl are on a trip worth taking.