Exploding out of Adelaide with their double-drum action, Wolf & Cub made an immediate impression with their debut self-titled EP. After earning a heap of kudos with local shows, the band decamped for the United Kingdom, ending up being signed to the venerable 4AD label. Now has come the time for their debut album.

Aggressive from the get-go, this debut album begins strongly with the six-minute grooving title cut, all energy and verve through the single “This Mess” and instrumental “Rozalia Bizarre”. It takes until “Hammond” for Wolf & Cub to temper the pace on Vessels, as the manic mood that greets the first three cuts is displaced by a more considered approach.

From there, Vessels goes in two distinct directions – the likes of “March of Clouds” and “Seed of Doubt” are upbeat and immediate with a great pop centring, while “Kingdom” and instrumental “Conundrum” space it out in a Stone Roses-like groove on the former and sheer filler sound on the latter. Vessels is closed out by the aggressive punch of former single “Steal Their Gold”, then another instrumental, this time the chiming “Vultures”.

What’s clear about Vessels is that Wolf & Cub are a band with a great base from which to grow. But this is not a case of a band wowing all and sundry on their first effort – there’s too much of a formula to their sound at this time, but when they combine the excellence of “March of Clouds” and “Hammond” over the course of a full album they’ll really make an impact on the Australian music scene, rather than simply impressing as they do on this debut.