These six demos from UK trio Blaenavon are some of the most promising tracks I’ve heard in a while. The variety and songwriting prowess that they display elevates them far above being ‘just another indie act’, even if the raw production on the tracks is far from squeaky clean. One act who clearly influence the three piece are Wild Beasts, with the vocals and picked guitar sections on Swans drawing particular similarities. Yet Blaenavon have a more expansive, post-rock feel that they use to sublime effect, building throughout the epic seven-minute long Swans.

Elsewhere amongst the demos there’s the acoustic simplicity of Denim Patches, a track showing Blaenavon at their utmost vulnerable; with the lead singer bemoaning ‘take this moment to think, what might have been‘. It’s a track that appears far longer than it’s five and a half minute run time, but I for one am not going to complain about that. Whilst it’s clear that Blaenavon are still very much at the beginning of their career, these six tracks are extremely promising and a breath of fresh air in a rather stagnant UK indie scene.

Check out a couple of cuts below, and head over to their bandcamp to grab all six tracks for free.