Although it might be tempting to imagine that The Stroppies collagist brand of guitar-pop might thrive best in haphazard settings, it turns out creating their second album amidst a global pandemic wasn’t quite what they’d ordered. However, as per the press release that accompanied the announcement of Levity, The Stroppies first new music since mid 2020, the group used this challenge to “redefine their process”, and if first taste ‘The Perfect Crime’ is anything to go by, this shift has led them to craft some of their most imaginative and deft music yet.

After introducing itself with a gurgling sample, ‘The Perfect Crime’ blossoms open; first with the forward momentum of a driving rhythm guitar, before expanding around a propulsive backbeat and some signature guitar jangles that intersect and unfurl around the burgeoning instrumentation. Gus Lord’s vocals are simultaneously nonchalant and wide-eyed as the track progresses, the rambling hooks of the verses seemingly conserving energy ahead of each triumphant chorus. There’s been whispers that this next Stroppies album might be their most rockin’ yet, and ‘The Perfect Crime’ does nothing to dispel these theories, particularly as the band careen into the track’s final section, the groove picking up an unexpected swagger as left-of-centre guitars jab alongside synthesiser blips. It’s an exciting indicator of where the band might be heading next, and one that thankfully doesn’t sacrifice the weirdo charm or playful pop smarts that has consistently underpinned The Stroppies’ sound.

Matched with an addictive video clip created by the band, we’re treated to grainy footage of The Stroppies rehearsing and hanging around between more surrealist flashes (clocks ticking, toy monkeys clapping etc), a whimsical touch that pairs cleverly with the dizzying effects of the song, especially when these moments sync up with the uncanny sound effects that constantly babble beneath the instrumental layers. Clocking in at just under five minutes, it’s on the slightly longer side of things for The Stroppies, but ‘The Perfect Crime’ still manages to fly by, leaving us all the more prepped for the unveil of Levity over the coming months.