Time and time again, debut albums either try too hard or don’t try hard enough. But with This Could Be Texas, Leeds-based quartet English Teacher have crafted a record that is really quite striking in its lyrical and sonic ambition

The four members of English Teacher — Lily Fontaine (vocals, guitar), Lewis Whiting (guitar), Douglas Frost (drums, piano) and Nicholas Eden (bass) — met at Leeds Conservatoire nearly a decade ago and have been writing songs together and refining their sound ever since. This Could Be Texas proves that their hard graft has paid off, as their current sonic identity flourishes in perfection. The album is one of the finest debuts of the decade, with every band member shining in their ability and craftsmanship

The band’s singles have already shown they’re adept at exciting, self-aware adrenalin shots like The World’s Biggest Paving Slab and the addictive Nearly Daffodils (“it tears like a freight train through a christening”), while also blindsiding you with heartbreaking brooders like Albert Road and Mastermind Specialism. The album is intent on suggesting potential longevity, opening with Albatross, a plaintive, soul-stirring stage-setter. I’m Not Crying, You’re Crying is everybody’s social anxiety underscored with bravado, while the piano-led This Could Be Texas questions the wisdom of crowds and, noting the everyday absurdity we normalise, rolls wordplay for the sake of wordplay around its tongue – “and the town is in a state, and that state is in a country, and that country’s in a bad state”

That defiance carries through to the lilting ‘fuck the Tories’ vibe of Broken Biscuits as Fontaine demands someone take responsibility: “Can a river stop its banks from bursting? Blame the council, not the rain”. R&B is a jagged fiery revenge song that sees the singer spit back at misplaced presumptions about her race and place in music: “despite appearances, I haven’t got the voice for R&B”

The Best Tears Of Your Life sees cyborg sounds and an orchestra totally in harmony, while the pure soulful balladry of You Blister My Paint is a totally different approach to a tearjerker

What you have in This Could Be Texas is everything you want from a debut; a truly original effort from start to finish, an adventure in sound and words, and a landmark statement. Poised for big things? Who knows if this industry even allows that anymore. Here are a band already dealing in brilliance, though – who dare to dream and have it pay off. It’s evident that English Teacher’s rise is very well-deserved and only just beginning