The Castillians - You & Me (2016)

The Castillians, Brummies who formed in 2010, like their blues abrasive and slightly painful to listen to, if the 11 scratchy songs on their second album You & Me are typical.

But you can’t help but twitch a buttock or two in response to the irreverent, anarchic music. Sure, songs such as Hey Hey and Midnight Ride aren’t what you’d call heavily produced, with a garage guitar sound and distorted vocals, but damn they’re persuasive, and Hang Me Out is an obvious hit, all hummable chorus and infectious, Motown-influenced beat.

There’s a degree of subtlety in more laid-back tunes like Come What May, a slow-blues grind, and Still In Love With You, a wall-of-sound wail, but generally The Castillians are about pummelling listeners into submission.