7/10

When Los Campesinos! first emerged, I remember a critic referring to them as "Arcade Fire, if they all forgot how to play their instruments and learned again from scratch." It's not only an incredibly memorable and apt comparison, but one that has seemed to stick with the band ever since. Their scrappy approach and playful attitude is all part of their captivating charm as the outfit return with album number six, 'Sick Scenes'.

Making their first release since their 2013 album 'No Blues', this is the longest time the band have gone without releasing any new music throughout their career. And that urgency to get going again is certainly prominent on this new release. While on the surface, it is the same old high-energy, indie gems they have been writing all these years, underneath there lives a continued fire and passion to create a record that demands to be noticed.

And while there are no stand-out singles on this album, unlike many of their previous full-lengths, it does a much better job of being a more cohesive and succinct release. Each track moves on to build on the energy of the previous one, giving an enjoyable listen from start to finish.