True, naming a band after the ancient pagan god of child sacrifice isn’t necessarily the way to make friends and influence people. But if Los Angeles (via Argentina) songwriter Lucas Fitzsimons has any luck on his side, within 10 months The Molochs’ second album will be sitting safely on those end-of-year lists.

The reasons behind such a claim is imprinted throughout America's Velvet Glory like a word through a stick of rock, but most surprising is how simplistic the music is. The primary influences (and template) are acutely intuitive composites of early Velvet Underground, Jonathan Richman, Television, The Only Ones and – make way for the secret ingredient – The Byrds. Making it all structurally watertight is the jangle mixing it with proto punk, garage rock and nu-folk.

Never mind The Molochs? Not this time, mate.themolochs.bandcamp.com