Despite the media hoo-hah surrounding Duels’ debut album, The Bright Lights & What I Should Have Learned, it never did much for me. Perfectly decent pop music though it was, it just seemed that the weight of expectation had become such a burden that anything other than a work of unequivocal genius was bound to disappoint.

Now, a couple of years on, I think it’s fair to say that the burden of expectation has been lifted. Which seems an opportune moment to actually deliver a work of unequivocal genius.

It would be difficult to overstate quite how good this record is. It has depth, soul, passion and more than a little unmeasured fury. Perhaps it took the confidence-shattering experience of the hype machine to get angry.

Its not just superficial intent either. Musically this is so far ahead of their debut you’d need one of Branson’s spaceships to catch up. It sounds like someone’s been listening to a lot of Arcade Fire, and it suits them.

From the first seconds of the The Furies you know that this is going to be a bit special. Jon Foulgar intones his words in a menacing hush, the contempt audible while the excitement builds around him. James Kenosha’s drums beat with claustrophobic military precision, while Jim Foulgars glistening guitar shimmers in the background. But it is not until bassist Jon Maher starts sliding down to the very pits of his instrument’s range that the album really kicks into its full potential.

And to be honest, it stays that consistently good for the album’s duration. Regeneration is a wise choice of single, slightly more instant than the rest of the album, but there isn’t a wasted note anywhere to be found.

No one will buy it of course, so that’s all the more reason for you to do so.

You won’t be disappointed. This is quite simply stunning.

Rob Paul Chapman