Watching a band evolve is one of the more enjoyable facets of Indie life. It’s proud parenting for those of us who haven’t delved into the real and complicated world of family life yet.

Look at Los Campesinos!, for example. As their career progressed, I’ve experienced unbridled, novel, joy (their first, dazzling, frantic releases); anxiety at their bratty teenage years (when the once-fun Tweecore sound became grating); and finally, most recently, joy and pride again as maturation has arrived in the form of their new, brilliant, single, Romance Is Boring.

The pay-off for this journey is why so many of us waste hours of otherwise sensible lives trawling for new bands – desperate for another breathless ride on the Rock switchback.

So here’s Sunderbans, and once again, all our hopes are pinned on their talent. No pressure, guys.

Sunderbans // We Only Can Because We Care

Actually, with confident strides like We Only Can Because We Care already made, there seems little chance of Sunderbans buckling under the weight of expectation. We Only Can… rumbles, ominous and hollow, darting tenaciously in and out of every scratchy rock nook and cranny.

First channelling Sonic Youth, then rejecting them with a strident volte-face, Sunderbans are needle sharp, their sound nipping forth, drawing blood and then retreating. This arrangement suits us all, the pricking serving as a reminder of earthly pleasures.

They maintain a strange, alluring distance between them and us. Where will they go from here? What will they do? And how will we feel about that when they get there?

www.myspace.com/sunderbans