First sight: The Northwestern

Who are they?

The new band of Sam Herlihy and Simon Jones, ex-frontman and drummer of the bombastic Hope of the States. That band split abruptly following the Reading festival in 2006, leaving two very decent albums and four top 40 hits.

And now they're making music again?

They never stopped. Herlihy and Jones were both in post-rockers Troubles, who released albums in 2006 and 2008. But the Northwestern are more likely to win the hearts of HoS fans.

Why so?

Because Herlihy has returned to writing skewed, literate pop songs, driven by frustration and love. But where HoS's songs were enriched by violin, glockenspiel, piano and the kitchen sink, this is a raw indie-rock affair, featuring the guitar skills of Jonny Winter from Liverpool's the Open.

Didn't Herlihy have that strangled yelp of a singing voice?

Yes, but his vocals are more assured now, as on Telephones, a jangling mini-epic that would have made any early-90s indie chart.

Where can I hear them?

The band are on a UK tour, ahead of the 15 June release of the single Telephones on Friends Vs Records. See the video at