MP3: Race Horses - 'Benidorm'

Analogue-loving Aberystwyth natives Race Horses earned plaudits on bothsides of the Atlantic last year for their ambitious, genre-hopping first full-length, Goodbye Falkenburg. The YNFBed outfit's everything-plus-the-kitchen sink approach had many critics trotting out slightly lazy Gorky's/Super Furries comparisons, but the truth is that ...Falkenburg showcased an entirely unique brand of sixties-indebted madcap indie. As frontman Meilyr Jones himself told us shortly after the release of that debut, "the aim was to make a really schizophrenic, varied and claustrophobic-sounding album" – an aim which, as brilliantly bonkers tunes like 'Cacen Mamgu' and 'Man in My Mind' proved, they went a long way towards achieving.

Now they've come galloping back (sorry, couldn't resist), with a slightly rejigged lineup and what we've been told is a "more darkly poppy, Sparks-flavoured" sound. You can download the first evidence of this fresh direction below, in the shape of brand new track 'Benidorm'. Far from being the lairy ode to Club 18-30, WKD and sunburn that its title might suggest, the song is a lovelorn tale of thwarted escape, Jones cheerily encouraging the object of his affection to "let's go on holiday / there must be a better way", before reminding us all that "even blonde turns to grey in time..." against a breezy Orange Juice-gone-chamber pop backing.

It remains to be seen whether Race Horses have completely reined in (okay, I'll get my coat) some of their more eccentric leanings; for now, though, these three minutes offer a welcome taste of what's to come: