But, of course, it’s not always sunshine and rainbows, and even the best of friendships come with their rough patches. As Adam explains: “Lockdown has made things difficult for all relationships. As a band, you go through your fair bits of tension, but you usually have a kind of release and get on with it. If you’ve had a little fallout or something, then you play a gig, and it’s the best thing in the world again. But at the moment… we’re quite strong characters, and we all have strong opinions on music and the band and stuff… and at the moment we haven’t really got that release.” A release. That’s what their music is to them. An outlet for all kinds of frustrations and anxieties. A sentiment that is directly reflected in their songwriting where thunderous drums and infectious guitar lines mingle with honest, relatable lyricism. Debut EP ‘National Trust’ comes packed with seven of those raucous reflections. “In a way, some of them are themed together because I wrote the lyrics for four of the tracks around the same time,” Adam says about putting together the tracklist. “Dan wrote ‘Beach Body’ and ‘Harold’. ‘Beach Body’ is quite an old song. It’s been a staple in our sets, so it felt nice to put that on the record. ‘Harold’ was new and is about sleep paralysis, which I think we all get. But the ones that I wrote, when I listen back, it’s all just about feeling trapped and wanting to leave.”

The most literal iteration of those feelings would be ‘Leave The South’, a track that, driven by feisty guitars, laments the tangible consequences of the North-South divide (“I know the North can be quite grey, it’s too expensive down there anyway”). Also, a definite winner is ‘Dogs Die In Hot Cars’ – not only an important PSA to careless pet owners but a clever commentary on wanting to break out of a suffocating environment. As a whole, the EP does a great job of encapsulating the band’s sonic evolution and showcasing their vibrantly eccentric character.

What makes Blanketman’s sound stand out from the masses is that their recordings retain the energy of a live performance. Ellie puts it quite simply: “We are a live band, and the EP is fully recorded live. I think that captures us really well,” and she’s right. Listening to their first succinct body of work, you can hear their personality shine through. Everything about ‘National Trust’ says “watch this space”. But finding their sound wasn’t as easy as one might think. It’s a work in progress. “It’s an ongoing battle,” Adam explains. “It’s one of the hardest things to balance as a band. But I also think it’s one of the things that makes us sound good.” “All of us are always pulling in different directions, so when it comes together, we hopefully get something quite original,” Ellie agrees.

One thing is abundantly clear: Blanketman are gearing up for big things and big stages. That is, if the government allows. But Adam and Ellie have unanimously decided to stay optimistic: “It’s so easy to be negative about it, but overall it’s not looking quite as bleak now, so fingers crossed.”