The man in his pants on the front cover of their EP nearly put me off (at least being French, he should have been in his pants with a Gauloises languidly hanging from his mouth. If we’re going to be stereotypical, let’s go the whole hog!).

CONCRETE KNIVES are almost utterly un-French though: they sound like they have been mainlining UK/US indie music for months. It probably started with a single hit of the Black Kids, and the habit just got worse.

And yet, this is an utterly joyous little thing: a five track EP which I mention because a) it’s finally out in this country today and b) they play dates this week in London/Reading/Bristol/Brighton and Southampton.

Now that Los Campesinos are busy exploring their darker side, CK waltz right in, without a care in the world; they even have a song which effortlessly conjures up the confusion of teen fashion (and it’s called ‘Youth Compass’ which someone like The Sunday Times will rip off and use for the title of its next Hipsters column).

On another more miserable day, this would be fantastically annoying in its chirpiness – especially as the EP’s ‘Brand New Start’ sounds like its trying to goad Vampire Weekend out of their second-album stupor – but hang it all. I like the irony (that something so disposable-sounding might just be worth cherishing).

I hope they’re good live. They look like they should be, given the video below. But only Tuesday night will tell.

Concrete Knives – Happy Mondays @ Chorus 2011 from Boheman on Vimeo.