Helta Skelta

“There’s a weird one-off episode of Only Fools And Horses set in Florida, and a running side-joke is that Americans can’t tell the difference between a Cockney and Aussie accent, constantly confusing the two. It always comes to mind when I think of Helta Skelta. Given that Jon [Warpole]’s accent floats somewhere between them like a trans-hemispheric version of the ‘mid-atlantic’ twang, and that the tune itself plays out like a mix of Eddy Current [Suppression Ring] and Blur’s ‘Parklife,’ filled with Sleaford Mods (millennial John Cooper Clarke)-esque stream of consciousness wordplay and compounded colloquialisms from both sides of the equation, the comparison grows only more apt. Stylistically, the band has been leaning toward a sparser, more minimal post-punk vibe for a while, and this single is the clearest expression yet of this trajectory. One play is not enough; expect to be returning the needle repeatedly.” —Alex Leech, No Exposure