Many people were surprised when The Futureheads were dropped by 679 Records after their second album, 2006’s News And Tributes. In truth, though, it was a hard record to love, weighed down by too much knotty experimentation and a paucity of tunes.

Wisely, the Sunderland new-wavers have returned with two hurtling, quick-fire singles, first the download-only Broke Up The Time and now The Beginning Of The Twist, which sees them reprising the frantic, full-bore guitar attack of early single Decent Days And Nights.

Lyrically, too, the song gives the impression of a band re-energised. It’s full of images of renewal and exhilaration: “It’s time to wake up… let’s get it started… there’s so much to rearrange,” sings vocalist Barry Hyde, sounding very much like a man desperate to make up for lost time.

The Beginning Of The Twist is taken from The Futureheads’ third album This Is Not The World, out in spring, and you can hear it on Myspace. You can also see the band busking the song on London’s Carnaby Street last December.