I’ve borrowed a few ideas from our zany catholic friends. The notion runs thus: there is a hierarchical system of singer-songwriter sins for which every new record must atone.

There is of course; the sin of unoriginality, the sin of forced kookiness and the sin of having an irritating adenoidal nose drone where your voice should be. Anton Barbeau is bang to rights guilty of all of these, but they’re only venial sins, nothing a few Hail Mary’s and a good self-flagellation won’t sort.

There is however one sin which will undoubtedly ensure that Barbeau goes straight to critical hell without hitting the bottom, and that is the sin of smugness. This is simply the most unremittingly pleased with itself, shiny coaster I have ever had the misfortune to receive. Be warned: if you listen to it on headphones all your neighbours will hear is you bellowing the words “oh just fuck off” roughly every 50 seconds, and eventually the police may become involved.

Samuel Kirk