Fat Freddy’s Drop - Pull The Catch

We’re in a state of flux right now – it’s not quite autumn and not quite winter, too far from Halloween and not near enough to Christmas, not doing brilliantly but not completely going under. So, if you want your music to reflect this state of limbo (and, heaven knows, you should), you could do a lot worse than listen to Fat Freddy’s Drop.

This seven-piece collective don’t sound anything like you’d expect a New Zealand band to (essentially, Flight of the Conchords with more members); but their effortless melting of ska, dub and heavy-eyed bonhomie on ‘Pull the Catch’ manages to be both utterly laid-back and faintly unsettling, unshowily soulful and restrained enough to promise more. Not explosively brilliant, then, but just enough to keep us hanging on and waiting to see what happens next.