The heady, seedy sound of Finnish psych occulters Jess and the Ancient Ones garnered much praise with their debut long-player, and that’s sure to be repeated with this sinister yet nice, speedy yet languid 10″.

Castaneda (Svart) marries a murky production and an occult organ feel with a spooky rhythm reminiscent of the 50s shock ‘n’ roll of The Munsters; an eerie lead twang finalised with backward masking and some serious drums booting the track up the arse, with Jess’s honeyed pipes flickering over the whole. Flipside ‘As To Be With Him’ has a similar feel but with an easier, more lazy rhythm, bubbling synths and that powerful voice graced with All About Eve-esque backing harmonies, the whole further sunken by that deliciously nebulous production. It’s so relaxed there’s something of a ‘lounge rock’ air until a strange amalgam of 90s indie and 70s ambience closes the track.

This is a taster for a new album and reminds us what a refreshing departure this lot are from the glut of female-fronted occult rock bands out there at present.

7.5/10

PAUL QUINN