Topper are a new band from Dublin that arrive with almost no information whatsoever. Just four first names: Kev, Conor, Shane, and Derry. Do I know these people? Not really. They may well have spent years in other bands, or perhaps they’ve been quietly plotting this demo all along. They might be lovely. They might be unbearable. Your guess is as good as mine.

Here’s what we do know. They recorded these four songs late last year, had them mastered by Will Killingsworth, and asked Tin Savage to draw the cover: a bespectacled punk blowing a giant bubblegum bubble with the band’s name splashed across it in cartoon fashion.

Don’t let the artwork fool you, though. There’s nothing sugary about this demo. Topper plays scruffy, no-nonsense garage punk that still proudly wears Dublin’s melodic punk DNA on its sleeve. The songs live on the rougher side of catchy, full of sharp hooks disguised as ugly ducklings. It’s a trick that works remarkably well.

Four songs are enough to convince me this is a band worth keeping an eye on.

Add to wantlist: Bandcamp