NEWPORT'S Headtest released their first single last month on the acclaimed singles' club label, Boobytrap. Matthew Blythe found out how.

Headtest are happy. The band of three years standing or more finally has a release to boast of. Hear My Air/Friendly Bombs is out now on Boobytrap, the Cardiff-based singles club, and available nationwide. Previous releases on the label have made the upper reaches of the indie charts and earned bands valuable radio and press coverage.

"Boobytrap had been watching us for a while," said Chris Vinnicombe (vocals/guitar). "They wanted to release something and the timing seemed ideal as we had just recorded some brand new material. We wanted to work with Boobytrap as they have put some great records out by people like the Martini Henry Rifles and McLusky. They seemed like the best option locally for our debut single."

Hopes are high for Headtest's offering which showcases the band's development between dance and indie rock, a description the band has heard before.

"Whenever a band is described as a blend of indie and dance the bias tends to lean towards Madchester-era grooves, whereas our electronic aspect is more subtle and embraces artists like DJ Shadow, Aphex Twin and Leftfield," said Chris. "Rather than simply looping a beat and calling it dance music, we're using electronica to add light and shade to the vocal harmonies and guitar squalls."

Hear My Air bursts forth like a Sex Pistol in a can but calms down into a floating chorus more akin to the Jam and Paul Weller.

The vocals give the song a lot of character and are somewhere between Weller (again) and the blessed out, dark monotone of Underworld's Carl Hyde. It's a complicated song with good use of harmonies and accomplished instrumental arrangements.

The reverse A side is much darker again, like a rainy night in Newport: i.e. somewhere you'd rather not be!

"Seen My Air is a pretty straightforward lyric about relationship paranoia and associated baggage," said Chris. "Friendly Bombs is more abstract. Images like 'soundtrack to bleached-out days in nicotine sun chasing our tails under bruising skylines' evoke the kind of feelings of frustration and claustrophobia that characterise what it feels like to grow up young and bored in Newport."

It was recorded, initially, in a small studio in Penarth but the band switched to Monnow Valley under the direction of Greg Haver when they were disappointed with the original mixes.

The single captures the band's live sound well. A REAL band Headtest have learned their trade on the live gig circuit and typically play a good gig. The band has been less present in Newport recently, though.

"We've tended to focus more on Cardiff in the last year as that's where Boobytrap is based and it seemed natural to promote the record more heavily there, although we've played at Le Pub a few times and been further afield to London. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be such a healthy scene here in Newport when you compare it the strength of local bands in the mid-nineties, but hopefully that's improving now with more and more kids forming bands. Hopefully they won't all be Nu Metal."

Headtest play Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff on Saturday, October 19 supporting Mum&Dad, Clwb Ifor Bach on Sunday, November 17, Bristol Croft's on Tuesday, November 26, and Saturday December, 14 supporting Tetra Splendour. Hear My Air is out now on Boobytrap. For more information surf to either www.headtest.com.uk or www.boobytrap.com