Remember that near-perfect summer’s day? Responsibilities were a distant memory and for once, you were completely present in your environment – sharing stories with friends over a picnic, playing fetch with the dog, lying on your back with a book. Houghton quartet We Should Be Laughing soundtrack the way you felt that day, their freewheeling guitars and tumbling drums laying down rail tracks to a less preoccupied you.

Their carefree brand of pop rock is liberating, damn the amount of ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ on this thing is insane! The first line on the album goes ‘I’m a state of the art uncool / with my goggles fucked up at your cousins swimming pool,’ while the last song opens with a ‘haha’ – it’s fitting of the journey the record takes, one packed with fun and hilarity.

Behind the laughter though there’s an undeniable sincerity. On ‘Bum’ they shout ‘I wanna feel you in the back of my lungs,’ and they couldn’t sound more veracious if they tried. Their songs are meaningful even if they don’t take themselves too seriously – a balance that isn’t easy to stumble upon. When these four get together, they leave all external worries at the practice room door, simply enjoying every moment in each other’s company. With this record, the possibility of taking that spirit into our life feels within touching distance.

Swan Songs is out Friday 19 July on Heavy Meadow Records.

The cassette comes with a reissue of the band’s debut album on the B-side.