This third album from Manchester’s Chemtrails is delightfully weird. Sprawling across a variety of genres, from psychedelic, to punk, to pop, The Joy of Sects is as colourful a listen as its cover would suggest. The unique vocals of front-women and romantic partners Mia Lust and Laura Orlova have an almost cartoonish quality, creating a surrealist sound when combined with the charged rhythms and energetic melodies. Among all this, though, is some pretty heavy subject matter, such as alienation, the human condition, the impending apocalypse and Mia Lust’s place in the world as a trans woman. However, the band delivers this through black humour, managing to create a fun yet thoughtful listen that’s fantastically put together. LT

Out now on 

PNKSLM Recordings