Like singer Bradford Cox, this EP from Atlanta’s Deerhunter is a frail, androgynous thing, occasionally striking but more often than not falling down on the listless side of insipid. Fans of the band will of course know that never straying above second gear is Deerhunter’s thing.

On ‘Famous Last Words’ Cox gets his wispy vocals sieved through some highly bizarre vocal effect. Now if this were the Strokes, we’d be bowing down in awe at such daring distortion, but with Deerhunter’s mushy production the overall effect is to encase your speakers in a wet sock.
Still, when you can make out what’s going on it becomes more engaging and, dare we say it, a bit of a slow burner.

Eschewing macho punk sensibilities is all very well and good when confined to your image (Cox is fond of appearing on stage in a dress) but when this ethos strays into your music the result more often than not just smacks of a sad lack of any self-belief.

2 out of 5

Paul Coletti