Qu – Switch (2015)

We’d guess the Fecking Bahamas subscribers know their way around about math-rock and post-rock, but even given that, Qu’s debut album might well take you by surprise.

Hailing from Kobe, the math rock Mecca of Japan, their instrumental framework is precise and clunky, with extra colour provided by keyboards. The group’s most novel feature, though, is the inclusion of what can only be described as beatboxing.

Far from being a gimmick though, he forms an important part of the band. The scratches, whistles and assorted noises issuing from his mouth transport the listener alternately to space and the bowels of a nightclub.

Tracks like ‘Escape’ kick off with an almost Cypress Hill-like West Coast flavour, before transitioning through hard rock and surf, before returning to hip-hop. Tracks like ‘Mobile’ and ‘New World’ have a more distorted, metallic sound.

A veritable musical playground of experimentation, this is a promising debut from an intriguing band.