The Snuts’ new record ‘Joy In Short Moments’ marks the Scottish band’s fourth studio album, and it follows the huge commercial success of their opening trilogy, all of which . It’s easy to see why; the band are constantly catchy and often relatable. 

There’s no better example of this on the record than the reflective and wise ‘Youth Ain’t Easy’, featuring the lyrics “Now that I’m old, youth ain’t easy”, which seems sure to resonate with a young crowd. Yet, the group do not remain so upbeat and joyous that it becomes cheesy; they contrast the happy, upbeat numbers with more sombre moments like ‘PTS’, a song looking back on a relationship through the lens of ‘Post Traumatic Stress’, which ends on the slightly sour yet ominous note “it’s not a blessing or a curse, we don’t talk about that much around here”. 

Produced by frontman and , the project maintains a consistent sound impressively despite the switch in moods across the tracks. No moments seem too dim or overexcited, and in general the songs do a fantastic job of representing the album’s title; rarely do they venture over three minutes, and most of them perfectly convey emotion in usually joyful vignettes. Ironically, the exception to this is the shortest track on the album, ‘Country Music’, which comes in at just two minutes 42 seconds – and features some rather irritating backing vocals.

The album gets right back to form, though, with ‘Summer Rain’, which features a four-on-the-floor kick pattern, giving the tune a groove to settle into, which keeps the listener feeling upbeat and complements the positive feeling of the song. The standout track of the album, ‘Motherlands’, features Cochrane putting down the most raw and emotive vocal performance of the album. There is a slightly grungier, muddier feel to this one, which does well to complement the lyrical content: “coming back, coming back like a heart attack, we’ve got everything we’ll ever need”. 

The album remains upbeat and cheerful, yet it does well to balance that with a decent smattering of negative emotion to prevent it from feeling flat. A sparkling, joyful indie pop record with clever emotive breaks throughout. 

7/10

Related: The Snuts: 11 Years On, Four Albums In And All The Wiser