Pigeon are a five piece band of considerably diverse backgrounds and influences, doing music that very much reflects that variety while retaining a sense of fearlessness and fun. They’ve been around a little bit, but their sound has really cohered on new album, OUTTANATIONAL. The unique vocals of Falle Nioke, a native Guinean, naturally stand out, switching easily between heartfelt falsetto to hardcore preacher and back again. Sometimes in the space of a single verse. But there’s quite a bit more going on here. The sometimes sleazy guitar of Tom Dream snakes in out as required but also gives angular counter points on the more upfront tracks on the record. The drums (Graham Godfrey) are always tight and the overall sound is fattened up considerably with Josh Ludlow’s bass, further supplanted with judicious use of synths and various electronic sprinkles.

The songs switch pace and feeling as the album progresses. ‘NRG’ combines an Afro/disco beat with statement lyrics that lay down a manifesto of intent. ‘Black James Dean’ takes a more guitar led sound with new/no wave beat and discordant fills. ‘Miami’ is a super fun bounce which does the business in a live setting and keeps that energy on record. ‘Horse with a Blind’ has a more straight up afrobeat sound complete with dramatic organ stabs and jerk guitar, but freshened up in the band’s own way. In terms of anthems ’117’ ticks a few boxes, a statement of sorts, Nioke’s vocals veering between power and soul.

‘Mirror Test’ skanks about and turns up the fx elements while ‘Future Country’ asks some timely questions for the world we’re currently in. ‘Today is Another Day’ flips out a soulful and more reflective side and brings the tempo back into check as the album winds down into the cosmic Afro futurism of the pretty beautiful ’Caramel’. As a live proposition, Pigeon are very much greater than the sum of their parts. For some acts that doesn’t always translate to record, but this one manages to straddle those worlds and then some. These are going to fly.

OUTTANTIONAL is out now.