Friends & Benefits

The kick lands with sandpapered conviction, and around it Joyce Muniz and Alinka weave a lean, leftfield lattice of strobe-ready synths and metallic percussion. At 125 BPM it refuses to rush, letting pressure build in steady, hydraulic increments that turn its energy of nine into genuine forward momentum rather than hollow aggression.

Locked in the key of 4B, the record radiates a focused, almost claustrophobic heat that suits the point in a set when the room is humid and the floor needs a jolt of credible indie dance rather than obvious pyrotechnics. It is functional, yes, but flecked with enough personality to earn its place in any late-night programme.