Cheerfully scampering around in the confused haze between post-rock, math-metal and experimental hardcore, ASIWYFA have a reputation for being instinctive square pegs, and Heirs will do little to facilitate the pigeonholing that such an approach tends to thwart.
It begins with Run Home, a blizzard of twinkling guitars and prog-tinged vocal jabs that then drifts majestically into more mellifluous territory before returning to a propulsive groove and more fret-mincing dexterity.
These Secret Kings I Know starts like an angular indie rock anthem, replete with more vocals than fans will be used to, but soon morphs into a juddering and explosive wall of chiming chords and stuttering rhythmic twists.
There’s a faint whiff of Mastodon’s thunderous momentum on Wasps and even a discernible nod towards Thin Lizzy on the tolerably sweet Redesigned A Million Times, but while playing ‘spot the influence’ is fun, the reality of ASIWYFA’s musical world is that their ingenuity and sense of mischief are infectious and Heirs is a gorgeously distinctive affair.
