There’s a growing army of punk duos out there right now since it’s considerably more financially viable to take two people on the road than four. The Meffs are a devastatingly fast punk duo from Essex that are delivering on every bit of the considerable buzz around them with their second record Business.

Effects pedal technology has reached the point where one guitarist can fill a room in a way that wasn’t possible in previous decades, and opener Dreamin’ is one minute of perfect punk rock that make’s it clear they don’t need anyone but the two of them. Across twenty five minutes the eleven tracks veer between minute-long punk ragers that are done and dusted before you register them, and much more anthemic, fists-in-the-air material with a Rage Against the Machine stomp. The riffage throughout Business carries that same chunky power you got from Tom Morello, and when the choruses arrive they carry the shout-along quality of Zack de la Rocha at full volume, but both the guitar and the screaming are coming from just one person.

Lily Hopkins sings and shouts in her natural Essex accent, which just so happens to be the kind of voice that a lot of people would affect without actually having to sound more authentic, perfect for punk rock delivery. As a vocalist she’s formidable, with terrific and haggard screams that let it out completely and a sweet quality in her voice when she chooses to sing rather than shout.

As a lyricist she’s equally impressive. These songs are all blunt and direct punk ragers with points made that are punchy enough to fit on a cardboard sign at a protest, but there’s also a conciseness and a literacy to the writing that elevates it way above dumb sloganeering. On Law, each line is extremely considered to make its point in the minimum possible words, and the result feels calculated and deliberate rather than simply angry. Punk has always covered this thematic territory, and The Meffs aren’t pretending to reinvent it, but they’re doing it with more thought, more head, and more heart than most.

The production mirrors the black and white photocopied aesthetic of the album cover, with drums sounding like they were recorded at the back of the room and Lewis’s backing vocals sounding like he’s screaming from behind the kit. It sounds like their live show, with exceptional drumming that’s listening to every word Lily says, hammering out a consistent backbeat and then locking into the lyrics to hammer the point home, completely in tune with each other.

Their chemistry is audible in every track, and the politics throughout are a very considered response to the rise of right-wing politics and race riots. The whole lineage of punk from the original burst of the Sex Pistols, The Clash and Discharge to the Epitaph generation of Bad Religion, NOFX and Pennywise, all coming out the other side sounding unapologetically Essex.