The Little Explorer
Sky / Moon 7”

There’s magic in this ‘ere wax - real, engrossing intricacies that absorb the listener, rendering them helpless until the needle reaches its point of termination, lifts and returns to its place of origin. To call The Little Explorer an emo outfit wouldn’t be totally misrepresentative - there’s plenty of ideas here culled from bands of old a la Braid, for example - but there’s a complexity to these two tracks that’s head and shoulders above so many of their apparent peers, said peerage based upon pigeonholing alone.

‘And Somehow The Moon Got Lost Along The Way’, side b here, is the pick of this brace, full of subtle complexities that don’t bamboozle the listener, nor smack of pretentiousness, but simply entertain. A comparison to a dumbed-down Spy Versus Spy is in no way intended as an insult. A-side ‘The Fool Looks At The Finger That Points To The Sky’ lacks the invention of its flipside, but is a scream-stop-sing song of substantial maturity. Not once does this Derby-based quartet get bogged down in needless clichés - everything here is worthy of your time and attention.

Got a record player? Get this.