Introducing: Skaters

Skaters, a raucous group from New York City, seemed an incongruous choice for Swim Deep’s support act on their tour in May last year. Dressed in home-customised khaki trench coats and their signature ‘No Problem’ baseball caps, they rattled out a machine-gun set, with early single I Wanna Dance (But I Don’t Know How) being the real standout. Now, nearly a year on, the prospect of a debut album looms large on the horizon - the UK release date for Manhattan is set for February 24th.

Their discography may not be particularly burgeoning (at least not yet), but for a band with only four singles and an EP to their name, they’re not doing badly. This side of the Atlantic they have supported not only Swim Deep but also Californian blues duo Deap Vally, and are about to embark on a headline tour of their own, with support from fellow New Yorkers, Drowners. Tour dates, along with their store and music videos, can be found on their website.

After a feature in NME’s Radar section and sessions for Radio 1, it can’t be long before Skaters emerge into the mainstream - teeth bared and all guns blazing. If you’re still under any doubt as to why, check out current single Miss Teen Massachusetts and its accompanying American Horror Story-esque video. The track builds with thundering malevolence until, as one Soundcloud listener pointed out, “it sounds like the guitars are laughing”. Perhaps because they know that - no matter how many music journalists insist guitar music has died its thousandth death - there will always be a place in the hearts of many for this breed of punky, gritty rock.