Hooded Fang - Tosta Mista

Toronto-based Hooded Fang go surfing for their second album, a 23-minute jaunt that fuses 60s lo-fi pop with a punkish sensibility, with three short interludes that sound like they've come straight from a smoky dance hall somewhere in Buenos Aires.

It's primarily a solo effort from the band's lead Daniel Lee, following the end of a relationship with fellow band member April Aliermo. However, instead of descending into bitterness and misery, Tosta Mista bathes in a woozy nectar of carefree tunes with a sense of humour and irresistibly danceable jukebox diner riffs.

'Clap', the first track proper lays the scene, introducing us to what has to be a cathartic process for Lee and includes vocals which suggest a Ramonesian level of indifference while having a bit of a crack at the ex in lines like "I see you up on the stage/ but I still know that you're deranged/ When you take off all your clothes/ you still act like an icy ho".

It's a sprightly collection of songs that more than satisfies its album status despite its length, although the lingering pain of the break-up occasionally reveals itself surreptitiously. The words "I still see you in my dreams at night" are repeated in the title track, hidden in an otherwise upbeat wonky jive that conjures the balmy heat of summer nights.

Lee only allows a lament in the unashamedly dreamy 'Den of Love', a swaying 50s-style ballad laden with tremolos, with haunting echoes of the voice of a departed lover and a sweet-sour refrain, where his bluesy vocal really comes into its own. Given its focus, Tosta Mista is a pretty sunny album made all the better with some gloriously sweet moments and a story to tell.