Copping moves from Mike Patton, Head Automatica began life as a collaboration between New York hardcore group Glassjaw’s frontman Daryl Palumbo and producer Dan the Automator (Handsome Boy Modelling School, Gorillaz, Peeping Tom, and others besides). But that was debut Decadence - follow-up Popaganda is a mightily different beast.

For starters, Dan Nakamura is notable for his absence; instead production is this time handled by big-time producer Howard Benson, and the touring band who saw Palumbo play alongside the likes of Interpol and Lostprophets is the base from which Popaganda grows.

As such, there’s a massive influence of Elvis Costello and the Attractions apparent in the songs this time around. “Lying Through Your Teeth” adds a bit of glam to proceedings, and the songs are for the most part given a massive rock sheen. Palumbo careens his vocals around the stratosphere, as did Costello in the early 1980s, and it works a treat, making the songs stand out as being different to the typical numbers currently on the radio.

Although it slows down in the second half, Popaganda works well thanks to the strength of Palumbo’s songwriting. Completely different to its predecessor, this album shows an evolution towards the mainstream, but most importantly it features some simply great songs.