Patawawa are here to save you from mediocre music. They’ve arrived at the musical stroke of Years And Years, Ed Sheeran and techno’s continued existence with one important thing – fun.

In a culture that appears to hold up Trainspotting’s ‘Choose life’ monologue not as an example of ball-aching boredom but as an example of paradise (choose starter home? If I win the lottery), fun and community are seeping away. Collectivism has been replaced by consumerism. And consequently people are fucking miserable – someone actually got annoyed at people for being sad about someone dying the other day.

Patawawa will not fix any of this. They are, after all, a disco band from the Midlands (!!) with just over 1000 likes on Facebook. But if people took the spirit of their music, and applied it to their lives, then their lives would be at least a little bit funkier.

In light of this, there is a mystery in why Patawawa have not been noticed more. Some of their chord changes, especially in one of their latest singles ‘Red and White’, do nothing short of lift the heart. The vocal line not only falls into place neatly, but is performed with real gusto. But it’s not Chris Martin cry-wank gusto. Patawawa’s disco powered gusto, streaming right through every note on both vocals and instrument, is simply a smile. The power of a smile in music, and the ability to just want to have a great time, feels contagious no matter era an artist is performing. Right now, it is more potent than ever.

Whether that particular mystery is even worth attempting to solve is a question in and of itself. If someone worried every time a great band was not noticed, they’d be on meds.

What might be of more real concern is the fact that the entirety of disco has gone largely unnoticed for the past few decades. Disco – one of the purest, most happiest genres. It was largely subsumed by house and DnB in the 90s, but the 90s have finished now. The drugs have worn off, and it’s clear that the music isn’t actually so good that it can make you dance without it actually playing. 90s ravers new year’s resolutions probably do not consist of ‘keep dancing forever, mate’ any more. It’s time for that whole generation to go back to disco, the genre that cannot fail to make you happy.

Read my other picks for new artists of 2016 here and here