WIRE have never been a band to rest on their laurels. Indeed, their forward facing aesthetic is matched only by their industriousness. A scant five months after the release of the widely acclaimed Mind Hive (“Sinewy, stripped-back, fearful — and beautiful” — The Guardian), Wire return with 10:20, a special release originally planned for the cancelled Record Store Day 2020.

Wire are Colin Newman, Graham Lewis, Robert Grey and Matthew Simms, and together they have served up a collection that morphs from bright psychedelic pop to pummelling noise — with several detours along the way.

10:20 also thrives on its own perverse logic. Herein are songs the band refers to as ‘strays’. These are recordings of pieces that couldn’t be accommodated on regular albums, as well as compositions that, following their original studio recording, evolved substantially through live performance, and so deserved a new life on record.

Tracks 1 to 4 were recorded in the latter part of 2010 and feature contributions from both Margaret Fielder (of Laika) — who had been performing guitar duties with Wire on live dates the previous year — and Simms, who was on the point of becoming an official member of the band.

10:20 is that rare thing: an album that not only serves as a must-have for long-term fans and completists, but that’s paradoxically also the perfect introduction for anyone new to the band.