With O Shudder (2015), Dutch Uncles dialled down the manic intensity a notch, to beguiling effect. Now it's as if the Mancunian art-pop band were itching to let themselves off the leash again.

Although unmistakably the same outfit – the meticulous arrangements and Duncan Wallis's debonair vocals take care of that – Big Balloon is a coiled, tense and often very loud record. The excellent, bug-eyed title track sets the tone, and the band are as muscular and thrilling as ever on the synth-led juggernaut Sink and the mini-epic Overton.

Dutch Uncles' fifth album does feel at times like a regression: some of their charm and personality is lacking amid the noise, and a few songs feel a little laboured. Still, if it's hyperactive nu-new-wave thrills you're after, you could do a lot worse. dutchuncles.co.uk