Second Head have so far been off the radar, but their new EP S.H is boisterous enough to demand a second look. Formed in May 2010 by former members of Arrows of Love, Turbogeist, Loverman and Eraserheads, Second Head’s super short EP packs a punch in under ten minutes.

The opener My Way or the Highway bursts into life with a growling bassline and impressively big sounding drums. This isn’t a cobbled together recording, the band have recruited producer of the moment Rory Attwell, who has worked with Male Bonding, Fair Ohs and S.C.U.M. Emma Browning’s sultry sinister vocals provide the quiet before the storm, singing “now I love you, now I don’t” before the chaos descends and the song abruptly ends.

Evergreen is the closest they get to a normal song structure on the EP, but the song soon gets repetitive and the chorus of “Evergreen, you’re so mean” is so throw away that it’s hard to get excited about.

Oh, and Everytime is full of toms, noise and bass intertwined creating nice build ups that see the band at their finest. Held together by the bass line, melodies are allowed to wander in and out creating a tense atmosphere that always sounds on edge.

EP closer Song for Simon Cowell to Sing at His Own Funeral is brash, meaty and reminiscent of Sonic Youth in punk mode. The song breaks down to a charging bass riff and a shout of “I want to write a pop song for Simon Cowell’s funeral with a melody but it’s impossible”.

S.H is a vast improvement on their previous efforts but unfortunately the lyrics lack depth, which holds them back from being memorable. The EP sticks to the grunge/noise punk sound adamantly, but there is enough variation between the songs to stop it becoming samey. Second Head are at their best when they build tension into a full-scale assault on your eardrums, and once they master this, they will be music to every noise connoisseur’s ears.

David West