Great Cynics returned this week with news of a new album, ‘POSI’, and a new single in the form of ‘Butterfly Net’. The band have been relatively quiet of late and have undergone some line-up changes. Iona Cairns has left (an understandable shame given how busy she is with Shit Present and her solo work) and it seems two new members have joined Giles and Bob, and this seems to have resulted in a rejuvenated and fuller sounding band.

The core elements of the Great Cynics sound are still there, but with two guitars rather than one everything just feels a little richer and more developed. Lyrically the song is all classic Cynic’s territory, standing tall with a can in hand in the face of your troubles, but Giles’ writing seems sharper whilst still maintaining the colloquial and poetic quality it’s always had (the lines lines “I owe you this cold morning of pure light” and “caught the 37 to Peckham, picked up some Tyskies and felt completely fulfilled” are particularly lovely). The extended breakdown to end ‘Butterfly Net’ recalls The Smith Street Band’s outro on ‘I Love Life’ and overall the song definitely suggests ‘POSI’ will be well worth a listen.