Sometimes having famous friends can be a bit of a bind.

Take S.C.U.M. The London newcomers are chums with The Horrors but - being similarly clad in shades of black - this has often been to their disadvantage.

Which is a shame. S.C.U.M. share a similar dark aesthetic, with both groups diving into the post-punk period. But in reality, the pair have distinct identities which won't be merged no matter how many Dalston house parties they attend.

Recorded in London, S.C.U.M. released their debut album earlier this month. 'Again Into Eyes' has a Gothic sensibility, with the vast sound moving somewhere between psychedelia, space rock and post-punk.

Lyrically, the band often dwell on dark, secluded corners of the soul but S.C.U.M. have a redemptive edge. The music has a rare beauty, a widescreen vision which overcomes any accusations of navel gazing.

Production team Ken and Jolyon Thomas have a lot to do with this. Hooking up with the band when they were still precocious newcomers, the pair have helped to push S.C.U.M. into a new, rather more mature direction.

Launching a full scale nationwide tour earlier this month, S.C.U.M. are set to emerge from the shadows. Taken from the album, 'Paris' is a sign of just how much the London crew developed.

An early favourite with fans, S.C.U.M. developed the track into a dark, anthemic work. Worth ranking alongside the doom laden grandeur of early Interpol and White Lies, 'Paris' scores the seedy undercurrents of the city of Romance.

Listen to it now...