Every Now and Then sees Aussie trio Jagwar Ma return for the follow up to their successful 2013 debut, Howlin’. The album presents an extension of the sound they developed on the first record rather than a departure; the Madchester vocals and techno-style synths of their their debut can still be found here. Jagwar Ma have extended their sonic palette however, with the brassy synth fanfares of ‘Loose Ends’ and a suspiciously steel-pan like melody in ‘Say What You Feel’.

Bands often step into weirder, wackier territory with their second release, but Every Now and Then sees Jagwar Ma arguably more pop-like than before. Whilst Howlin’ often strayed too long into techno experimentation, their sophomore doesn’t stray for long enough. The exception is ‘High Rotations’, a bizarre and ultimately unpleasant track, which leaves the listener trapped in a bad acid trip.

That’s not to say there isn’t good stuff here. ‘Loose Ends’ particularly stands out, with vocalist Gabriel Winterfield singing over a slinky, drunken beat. Elsewhere, ‘Slipping’ and ‘Batter Up’ are satisfyingly epic. ‘Give Me Reason’ is worth a listen for the eccentric spoken word outro alone, describing dance moves to “the Amoeba”. It might not be the next ‘Cha Cha Slide’, but it’s pretty amusing at least. Opener ‘Falling’ is an interesting swirl of layered synths that strongly draws from Stone Roses’ ‘Don’t Stop’.

However, any excitement quickly falls flat as we move into the disappointingly predictable ‘Say What You Feel’, where Winterfield’s calls of “Can we be real?” feel, well, fake.

In Every Now And Then, Jagwar Ma have created a more focussed record than their first. This does mean some freedom and charm has been lost, but there’s still a lot of fun to be had here – third time lucky and they might just get it right.

Maisie Leddy