Gritty and agitated, yet smothered in a sophisticated indie-rock gleam, Plastic’s debut album is decidedly upfront in its eccentricity. Despite being a staple on the Melbourne music scene for the past five years, Plastic have always been a band that have delighted in existing on the peripheries, and on New Hands they excel at this - blending elements of post-punk and alternative-rock with music school nerdery, to create an album that feels carefully crafted to try to buck you off the pulse.

From beginning to end, there’s a thrilling sense of controlled chaos to New Hands. We’re instantly thrown into the band’s immersive world with opening track ‘I Could Be Here All The Time’, a swirl of off-kilter pop that undulates and spirals before eventually crumbling into a dilapidated groove, and every sticky hook and erratic left-turn set in motion here refuses to let up as the album expands open.

From the wiry freneticism of ‘Spider Fingers’ or the addictively lopsided ‘On Hold To Instinct’, to the sedated-turned-restless ’Lightning Mud’ or the zigzagging drive of ‘Safer With A Gun’, it’s hard not to get caught up by Plastic’s effortless ability to blur turbulence with charming playfulness, and make it as compelling as this. And as the album is rounded out with ‘Smoke’, a clear highlight that captures all of the group’s irreverence and charisma into one final blast of warped pop, it becomes clear that the scope Plastic have achieved on New Hands makes it an album that will keep on giving, revealing enticing new details and mesmerising subtleties on every listen.