THEY’VE teased us with one brilliant track after another since 2013, and now Glaswegian trio Baby Strange are finally ready to release their eagerly anticipated debut album Want It Need It; a record that’s 100% worth the wait.

Instead of jumping on the initial hype that followed them in the wake of their early releases, the band have taken the time to build a loyal fanbase and hone their musicianship since then; and it looks to have paid off. ‘Want It Need It’ has a gripping, relentless energy from start to finish, unapologetically squaring up to you in the face with a fierce, punk attitude while capturing everything we know and love about the band who have fast become one of Scotland’s most exciting talents.

Those looking for a collection of new material may be slightly disappointed however, given that only two of the ten tracks, ‘Nude’ and ‘Human’, are new to listeners. When your back catalogue is this good though, it doesn’t matter an ounce. Put together in this context, it’s a debut album that feels like a greatest hits; the notion of a filler track is superfluous and nowhere to be seen.

The noticeable difference however, is in the production quality. The songs may be familiar but old favourites like ‘Pure Evil’ and ‘Friend’ sound refreshed with a more polished sound that indicates a growing maturity in their musicianship. That’s not to say they have lost their DIY ethic though; these songs benefit from a more robust production, allowing their trademark raucous riffs and banging drums to have a greater impact, while still being fuelled by the same raw, punk energy.

It’s only right therefore that they kick things off with ‘Pure Evil’, the gateway track for many fans and the one that really got things started for the trio. The perfect opener, it encapsulates the brilliance of Baby Strange in three minutes with a rumbling bass propelling the song forwards into an impassioned chorus which sees Johnny Madden spit out the now infamous lyrics: “ooh ahh I’m tired of my generation”.

The album is full of big singalong moments like this that many bands would be envious of. ‘Pleasure City’ is a full on rock stomp with a painfully infectious chorus worthy of any stadium, aching to be hollered back by massive crowds. They show a similar knack for melody on old favourite ‘Friend’, the more melancholic, shoegazey ‘California Sun’ and new track ‘Nude’, which possesses Clash-like throwbacks with punchy, driving guitar rhythms and an imposing vocal delivery.

Behind these infectious melodies though, lies a dark and menacing energy with which Baby Strange have become synonymous. A theme of disillusionment and youthful angst runs throughout the album as Johnny Madden sneers at the world around him over rollicking backdrops of fuzzy guitars and crashing percussion, giving it that desired unkempt feel. ‘Distance Yourself’, for example, has a creeping bassline which builds into a crescendo with a characteristically poppy chorus and wiry, screeching guitars as Madden sings: “They’re trynna take our time, they’re trynna take our fun”. Whether it’s the omnipotent force they’re fighting against here or their own generation like in ‘Pure Evil’, the band create a clear ‘us vs them’ divide; it doesn’t take long to decide what side you’re on.

The chanting, rage-filled title track ‘Want It Need It’ is the perfect closure to the album. Flying in at just two minutes in length and exploding with energy, it dramatically cuts out, leaving the listener desperate for more.

They may have kept us waiting but Baby Strange have released a debut album which is gripping from start to finish. They sound like a band who have matured in recent years while still possessing that raw, addictive energy that made such an exciting prospect in the first place. One thing is for certain; the trio from Glasgow looked primed for big things more than ever.