So much for the hiatus—the U.K.'s Basement are back with three new songs and a summer vacation of sold-out shows. Those shows made no mention of Further Sky, which let them take everyone by surprise by releasing the jangly single, “Summer's Colour,” on a whim. Sticking with the brilliant alt-rock last heard on Colourmeinkindness, they also drop hints of shoegaze and Britpop. Andrew Fisher's singing stretches across the canvas, not unlike their English elders in Swervedriver. “Jet” is a simpleton rocker, its punch-card riffs and vocal bravado brushing shoulders with the term "cock rock" and then dipping into an airy, secluded chorus like a kid sent to time-out.

Basement end their short stay with a cover of Suede's “Animal Nitrate,” the most sprawling song of the trio, faithful to the original but sure to pass as their own work to fans in the dark. It's a fine fit for the lighthearted moods explored on Further Sky. They've picked right back up as old friends do, only with their instruments. Bring on another album, boys.