GROWING UP sucks. '14 to 41/You start blind, end up dumb' admits a wry Matranga to the tune of juxtaposing, joyously upbeat pop-rock.

A WOOZY, nostalgia trip through domestic disquiet offset with glass-half-full thanksgiving to the backing of digitally programmed beats, organ and understated strumming.

A PULSING, crawling bass intro gives way to a booming full band onslaught with targets set on 'self-pitying' pessimists ('We're always searching for what's wrong'). Listen closely, emos.

INSISTENT, SURGING pop-rock marshalled by a piercing riff and an infectious sky-punching chorus with crosshairs locked squarely on the pop charts.

A BEAUTIFULLY restrained and portentous moment of reflective mournfulness among a car crash of metal-inflected chest-beating rock.

ASTOUNDING DRUMMING lends a sense of urgency to this eerie tour de force. An indeterminate foe stalks our hero toward a crescendo of crashing distortion.

A FAT-ASS lynchpin of a riff full of menace, and squalling feedback mix with a vocal refrain of 'Fire!' making this one of the most barbed, metallic Far tracks.

SLOW BURNING, glacial swathes crash through the stereo with a mid-song explosion ignited by a legendary a cappella Jonah vocal. A cathartic song about the suicide of a close friend.

A DELICATELY picked acoustic and a fragile vocal belie the defiant two-fingered, anti-corporate, DIY anthem in which Matranga celebrates his place in the world.

THIS IS Far at full-tilt, playing with the force of a jungle fire while Jonah delivers a seething vocal through much gnashing of teeth.

The catchiest track in Jonah's back catalogue - ironically - is a defiant 'no sell-out' anthem to the underground.

A spiky riff slices throughout what was Far's only real proper single. A cracking slab of pounding, streamlined hardcore that never quite made the breakthrough it deserved.

A DEFIANT, pleading refrain of 'Help me get over it' cutely leads to a rousing gang-style coda of friends and family lending backing vocals.

A SWINGING, electro-acoustic pop song with backing vocals from R2-D2! Joyous, silly, simple and heart-warming fun, showcasing the often-overlooked humour in Jonah's armoury.

DRUMS AND guitars race to the finish as Matranga righteously barks over the most ferocious track in the Far arsenal. The final sandpaper scream of 'THE SYSTEM!' is a proper goosebump moment.

A TNT-BLAST intro forges a path for plundering, ascending chords in the punchiest track in the Gratitude oeuvre. A timely reminder the old dog could still rock hard.

A battered kit and a groaning bass usher in cascading guitars and throat-shredding vocal on the centrepiece of Far's finest record.

ONE CIRCULAR, chop/crunch riff gives way to a winding chorus while Jonah, lyrically, goes another round with the big man upstairs.

'YOU'RE UP here with angels/You look like hell' screams an agonised Matranga in this 'hate song' to himself while deep bass grooves and waves of guitar go at it.

CIRCULAR, CHUGGING riffage, pounding toms, slackened bass and 20-something philosophising kicks off the new improved Far on their major label debut.