Back in 2010, fans of Built to Spill and Weezer were quickly won over by the catchy charms of Surfer Blood’s diamond-in-the-rough debut, ‘Astro Coast’. The Florida guitar maestros have been trying different ways to channel that same scrappy vitality ever since, despite weathering tragedies and controversies that, for some, simply weighed down the music too much. This year’s ‘Snowdonia’ bottles their energy but slows the pulse right down, controlling the chaos with the same coiled post-punk intensity of Parquet Courts or even Fugazi. It’s a transitional and sometimes melancholy record – showing that long after the initial hype, these East-Coast pop-rockers still have room to mature, fire in their bellies, and new things to say.

Thu 16 Mar, Mama Roux’s, Lower Trinity Street, Digbeth, Birmngham B9 4AG. £8.50. skiddle.com